Nikolai Kibalchich
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich (1853–1881) was a Russia
n revolutionary
, taking part in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II as the main explosive expert for Narodnaya Volya (the People's Will), and also a rocket
pioneer. He was the paternal uncle of revolutionary Victor Serge
.
, Chernigov Governorate
(then Russian Empire
, today Ukraine
), 1853 Kibalchich was the son of an Orthodox parish priest
. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Engineering College and worked on experiments into pulsed rocket
propulsion.
He went on to join Narodnaya Volya, becoming their main explosives expert. In March 1881, he was charged with taking part in the assassination of Alexander II
.
All through the night from February 28 to March 1, Nikolai and his assistants - the Fleet Lieutenant Sukhnanov and Mikhail Grachvesky – worked without rest preparing the missile shells. The Peoples Will members had to be quick. Andrei Zhelyabov, who was to direct the missile throwers in an attempt on the life of the Emperor Alexander II, had been arrested on Feb 27th. If the Tsar survived the explosion, Zhelyabov was to kill him with a dagger. Zhelyabov’s arrest on the eve of the assassination attempt came as a complete surprise, although alarming rumors had appeared in February that the police were up to something. The plan was in jeopardy. There was no one to warn the Narodnaya-Volya people. Nikolai Kletochnikov, assistant to the file clerk of the Third (Security) Department, bearer of a Saint Stanislav Order, who had often warned the Narodniks about the gathering dangers, had been arrested at the end of January.
By the morning of March 1 four projectiles were ready. One of them killed Alexander II on March 1, 1881, on the embankment of the Yekaterininsky Canal in Saint Petersburg. Kibalchich was arrested on March 17.
"When his men came to see Kibalchich as his appointed counsel for the defense," said V.N Gerard in his statement to the special committee of the senate, "I was surprised above all by the fact that his mind was occupied with completely different things with no bearing on the present trial. He seems to be immersed in research on some aeronautic missile; he thirsted for a possibility to write down his mathematical calculations involved in the discovery. He wrote them down and submitted them to the authorities."
In a note written in his prison cell, Kibalchich proposed a manned jet air-navigating apparatus. He examined the design of powder rocket engine, controlling the flight by changing engines angle, the pro note is dated March 23. He produced this scientific work truly at death's door.
On March 26, General Komarov, Chief of the Gendarmery Department, informed the Police Department: "Pursuant to the request from Nikolai Kibalchich, the son of the priest, who is accused of high treason, I have the honor to present hereby his design of an aeronautic device."
The brief written in the report said: "To be filed with the March 1 dossier and to give this to
scientists for consideration now would hardly be expedient since this can only give rise to a lot of wanton talk. Kibalchich’s design was put in an envelope, sealed and filed. The inventor was told that his design would be handed over to scientists for examination.
Kibalchich awaited for their answer. The month of March was at an end, with two days left before execution. On March 31 Kibalchich wrote this solicitation address to the Minister of Interior: “By instruction of your Excellency my design of an aeronautic apparatus has been submitted for the consideration of technical committee; could your Excellency direct that I be allowed to meet with any of the committee members on the matter of this design not later than tomorrow morning or at least to receive a written answer from the experts who have examined my design, also no longer than tomorrow.
I also ask your Excellency for permission for me, before I die, to meet with all my comrades
in the trial or at least with Zhelyabov and Perovskaya." All the requests were ignored.
condemned prisoners rode out of the house of the detention to Shpalernaya Street. Zhelyabov was
in the first chariot and by his side was Rysakov who had tossed the first bomb at the coach of
Alexander II and then betrayed his comrades during the interrogation. Kibalchich, Perovskaya and Mikhailov were in the second. The hands and feet of the condemned were tied to the seats. Each had on his chest a black plaque with the white colored inscription: “A regicide”.
At 9:21 am the executor knocked off the foot stool from under the feet of Kibalchich,
Mikhailov, Perovskaya, Zhelyabov and Rysakov were executed after him.
Thus Kibalchich and other Narodnaya Volya plotters including Sophia Perovskaya, Andrei Zhelyabov
, Nikolai Rysakov
and Timofei Mikhailov were hanged on April 3, 1881.
The fate of the invention, mentioned in Kibalchich's last letter, proved to be as tragic as that of its 27 year old creator. Kibalchich’s
design was buried in the archives of Police Department, but the tsar authorities failed to consign
the name of the inventor and his idea to oblivion. The trial and execution of the Narodniks had wide
repercussions around the world. Much was said and written about Kibalchich’s design abroad and all
kinds of conjectures were made about the essence of the invention and its subsequent fate. In 1917, Nikolai Rynin
rediscovered the manuscript in the archives and published an account of it 1918 in the historic magazine «Былое» (Past).
In 1891, similar ideas were developed independently by the German engineer Hermann Ganswindt
. After WWII, Stan Ulam proposed a nuclear pulse propolsion scheme which was studied in Project ORION
.
The International Astronomical Union
honoured the rocketry pioneer by naming a crater on the moon Kibal'chich
.
"I Nikolai Kibalchich am writing down this design in prison with several days to go before my
execution. I believed in the practicability of my idea and this belief sustains me in my appalling situation by scientists and specialists who show my idea to be practicable, I will feel happy in the knowledge that I have rendered an immense service to my country and mankind. I will then calmly meet death, knowing that my idea will not die with me but will remain with mankind for which I prepared to sacrifice my life. That is why I pray to those scientists who will examine my design that they treat it with the utmost seriousness and good faith and let me know their answer as soon as possible.
First and foremost I need it necessary to note that, when at large, I did not have time to
elaborate my design in details and prove its feasibility mathematically. Now it is, of course
impossible for me to obtain the materials necessary for that. Consequently, this task that of
substantiating my design with mathematical calculation will have to be done by those experts
into whose hands my design will find its way.
Besides, I am not familiar with the mass of similar design which have, appeared lately; that is
to say I am aware of the idea behind those designs but I am not familiar with the way whereby the inventors hope to carry them out. As far as I know, however my idea has not yet been proposed by anyone else.
In my thought about an aeronautic machine I have concentrated mainly on this question: what force has to be applied in order to set such machine in motion? In my opinion it is slowly burning explosive substances that can provide such a force.
In fact, the combustion of explosive substance results with a comparative rapidity in large
quantity of gases possessing a huge energy at the instance of their formation. But can one use
the energy of gases, formed by explosive ignition, to perform work of any duration? This is
possible only if the huge energy of explosive combustion, rather than last instantaneously,
will be generated during a more or less prolonged period of time.”
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
, taking part in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II as the main explosive expert for Narodnaya Volya (the People's Will), and also a rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
pioneer. He was the paternal uncle of revolutionary Victor Serge
Victor Serge
Victor Serge , born Victor Lvovich Kibalchich , was a Russian revolutionary and writer. Originally an anarchist, he joined the Bolsheviks five months after arriving in Petrograd in January 1919 and later worked for the Comintern as a journalist, editor and translator...
.
Early life
Born in KoropKorop
Korop is an urban-type settlement in Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine, the administrative center of the Korop Raion.The name of the town means "carp" in Ukrainian, and the fish is present in the coat of arms and flag of the town....
, Chernigov Governorate
Chernigov Governorate
The Chernigov Governorate , also known as the Government of Chernigov, was a guberniya in the historical Left-bank Ukraine region of the Russian Empire, which was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Malorossiya Governorate with an administrative centre of Chernigov...
(then Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, today Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), 1853 Kibalchich was the son of an Orthodox parish priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Engineering College and worked on experiments into pulsed rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
propulsion.
Biography
In 1875 Kibalchich was arrested for lending a prohibited book to a peasant. He spent 3 years in prison before being sentenced to 2 months imprisonment.He went on to join Narodnaya Volya, becoming their main explosives expert. In March 1881, he was charged with taking part in the assassination of Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
.
All through the night from February 28 to March 1, Nikolai and his assistants - the Fleet Lieutenant Sukhnanov and Mikhail Grachvesky – worked without rest preparing the missile shells. The Peoples Will members had to be quick. Andrei Zhelyabov, who was to direct the missile throwers in an attempt on the life of the Emperor Alexander II, had been arrested on Feb 27th. If the Tsar survived the explosion, Zhelyabov was to kill him with a dagger. Zhelyabov’s arrest on the eve of the assassination attempt came as a complete surprise, although alarming rumors had appeared in February that the police were up to something. The plan was in jeopardy. There was no one to warn the Narodnaya-Volya people. Nikolai Kletochnikov, assistant to the file clerk of the Third (Security) Department, bearer of a Saint Stanislav Order, who had often warned the Narodniks about the gathering dangers, had been arrested at the end of January.
By the morning of March 1 four projectiles were ready. One of them killed Alexander II on March 1, 1881, on the embankment of the Yekaterininsky Canal in Saint Petersburg. Kibalchich was arrested on March 17.
"When his men came to see Kibalchich as his appointed counsel for the defense," said V.N Gerard in his statement to the special committee of the senate, "I was surprised above all by the fact that his mind was occupied with completely different things with no bearing on the present trial. He seems to be immersed in research on some aeronautic missile; he thirsted for a possibility to write down his mathematical calculations involved in the discovery. He wrote them down and submitted them to the authorities."
On March 26, General Komarov, Chief of the Gendarmery Department, informed the Police Department: "Pursuant to the request from Nikolai Kibalchich, the son of the priest, who is accused of high treason, I have the honor to present hereby his design of an aeronautic device."
The brief written in the report said: "To be filed with the March 1 dossier and to give this to
scientists for consideration now would hardly be expedient since this can only give rise to a lot of wanton talk. Kibalchich’s design was put in an envelope, sealed and filed. The inventor was told that his design would be handed over to scientists for examination.
Kibalchich awaited for their answer. The month of March was at an end, with two days left before execution. On March 31 Kibalchich wrote this solicitation address to the Minister of Interior: “By instruction of your Excellency my design of an aeronautic apparatus has been submitted for the consideration of technical committee; could your Excellency direct that I be allowed to meet with any of the committee members on the matter of this design not later than tomorrow morning or at least to receive a written answer from the experts who have examined my design, also no longer than tomorrow.
I also ask your Excellency for permission for me, before I die, to meet with all my comrades
in the trial or at least with Zhelyabov and Perovskaya." All the requests were ignored.
Execution and legacy
At 7:50 am on the sunny spring morning of April 3 two “chariots of shame” with thecondemned prisoners rode out of the house of the detention to Shpalernaya Street. Zhelyabov was
in the first chariot and by his side was Rysakov who had tossed the first bomb at the coach of
Alexander II and then betrayed his comrades during the interrogation. Kibalchich, Perovskaya and Mikhailov were in the second. The hands and feet of the condemned were tied to the seats. Each had on his chest a black plaque with the white colored inscription: “A regicide”.
At 9:21 am the executor knocked off the foot stool from under the feet of Kibalchich,
Mikhailov, Perovskaya, Zhelyabov and Rysakov were executed after him.
Thus Kibalchich and other Narodnaya Volya plotters including Sophia Perovskaya, Andrei Zhelyabov
Andrei Zhelyabov
Andrey Ivanovich Zhelyabov , Russian revolutionary, member of the Executive Committee of Narodnaya Volya....
, Nikolai Rysakov
Nikolai Rysakov
Nikolai Rysakov was a Russian revolutionary and a member of Narodnaya Volya. He personally took part in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, throwing a bomb that disabled the Tsar's carriage. A second bomb by an accomplice, Ignacy Hryniewiecki, was fatal to the Tsar...
and Timofei Mikhailov were hanged on April 3, 1881.
The fate of the invention, mentioned in Kibalchich's last letter, proved to be as tragic as that of its 27 year old creator. Kibalchich’s
design was buried in the archives of Police Department, but the tsar authorities failed to consign
the name of the inventor and his idea to oblivion. The trial and execution of the Narodniks had wide
repercussions around the world. Much was said and written about Kibalchich’s design abroad and all
kinds of conjectures were made about the essence of the invention and its subsequent fate. In 1917, Nikolai Rynin
Nikolai Rynin
Nikolai Alekseevich Rynin was a Russian civil engineer, teacher, aerospace researcher, author, historian, and promoter of space travel....
rediscovered the manuscript in the archives and published an account of it 1918 in the historic magazine «Былое» (Past).
In 1891, similar ideas were developed independently by the German engineer Hermann Ganswindt
Hermann Ganswindt
Hermann Ganswindt was a German inventor and spaceflight scientist, whose inventions are thought to have been ahead of his time....
. After WWII, Stan Ulam proposed a nuclear pulse propolsion scheme which was studied in Project ORION
Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)
Project Orion was a study of a spacecraft intended to be directly propelled by a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the craft...
.
The International Astronomical Union
IAU
IAU may refer to:*International Astronomical Union*International American University*International American University College of Medicine*International Association of Universities*International Association of Ultrarunners...
honoured the rocketry pioneer by naming a crater on the moon Kibal'chich
Kibal'chich (crater)
Kibal'chich is a crater on the Moon's far side. It lies to the northeast of the large walled plain Korolev, and is attached to the southeastern outer rim of the crater Tsander....
.
Final letter
The Dream of a propulsive device by a Scientist that was stolen by death"I Nikolai Kibalchich am writing down this design in prison with several days to go before my
execution. I believed in the practicability of my idea and this belief sustains me in my appalling situation by scientists and specialists who show my idea to be practicable, I will feel happy in the knowledge that I have rendered an immense service to my country and mankind. I will then calmly meet death, knowing that my idea will not die with me but will remain with mankind for which I prepared to sacrifice my life. That is why I pray to those scientists who will examine my design that they treat it with the utmost seriousness and good faith and let me know their answer as soon as possible.
First and foremost I need it necessary to note that, when at large, I did not have time to
elaborate my design in details and prove its feasibility mathematically. Now it is, of course
impossible for me to obtain the materials necessary for that. Consequently, this task that of
substantiating my design with mathematical calculation will have to be done by those experts
into whose hands my design will find its way.
Besides, I am not familiar with the mass of similar design which have, appeared lately; that is
to say I am aware of the idea behind those designs but I am not familiar with the way whereby the inventors hope to carry them out. As far as I know, however my idea has not yet been proposed by anyone else.
In my thought about an aeronautic machine I have concentrated mainly on this question: what force has to be applied in order to set such machine in motion? In my opinion it is slowly burning explosive substances that can provide such a force.
In fact, the combustion of explosive substance results with a comparative rapidity in large
quantity of gases possessing a huge energy at the instance of their formation. But can one use
the energy of gases, formed by explosive ignition, to perform work of any duration? This is
possible only if the huge energy of explosive combustion, rather than last instantaneously,
will be generated during a more or less prolonged period of time.”
External links
- Croft, Lee B. Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich: Terrorist Rocket Pioneer. IIHS. 2006. ISBN 978-1-4116-2381-1.
- Biography
- Origin of Russian Roketry
- Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy and Spaceflight
- http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19720015235_1972015235.pdfNikolai RyninNikolai RyninNikolai Alekseevich Rynin was a Russian civil engineer, teacher, aerospace researcher, author, historian, and promoter of space travel....
Interplanetary Flight and Communication Vol.2 No.4 pp36. Washington, D.C.: NASA and NSF, 1971]