Tadeusz Estreicher
Encyclopedia
Tadeusz Estreicher was an Austrian-born Polish
chemist
, historian
and cryogenics
pioneer who spent most of his career in Austria and the German Empire
.
when it was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. He grew up in the intellectual atmosphere of an influential dynasty of professors at the Jagiellonian University
. His father, Karol Józef Estreicher, was an outstanding historian of literature and the chief librarian of the University. His brother, Stanisław, was a historian of Law and his sister, Maria, was one of the first women in Austria-Hungary
to earn a doctorate (in English Philology).
Estreicher studied in Berlin
, Leipzig
, and in London
under William Ramsay
. As a student at the Jagiellonian University, Estreicher worked as an assistant to Karol Olszewski
, the first chemist to liquefy oxygen
. After having been appointed assistant in 1899, Estreicher successfully liquefied hydrogen
in 1901 before he was promoted to Privatdozent in 1904.
In 1900, he described the Jagiellonian globe in the Transactions of the Cracow Academy of Sciences.
From 1906 until 1919 he worked in Germany
a professor for mineral and general chemistry at the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg where he ran a cryogenics
laboratory. From 1913 to 1914 he also served as dean of the department.
In 1919, aged 47, he returned to newly-independent Poland and took a position with the Jagiellonian University where he remained until his retirement. His later work examined the history and language of science.
On 6 November 1939, along with his brother Stanisław and other professors of the University, Estreicher was caught in Sonderaktion Krakau
. Both were transported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp
, where his brother died on 28 December 1939. Tadeusz survived the camp and was released in February 1940, following protests from German academics to the Nazi government.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and cryogenics
Cryogenics
In physics, cryogenics is the study of the production of very low temperature and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. A person who studies elements under extremely cold temperature is called a cryogenicist. Rather than the relative temperature scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit,...
pioneer who spent most of his career in Austria and the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
Life
Tadeusz Estreicher was born in KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
when it was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. He grew up in the intellectual atmosphere of an influential dynasty of professors at the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
. His father, Karol Józef Estreicher, was an outstanding historian of literature and the chief librarian of the University. His brother, Stanisław, was a historian of Law and his sister, Maria, was one of the first women in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
to earn a doctorate (in English Philology).
Estreicher studied in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
under William Ramsay
William Ramsay
Sir William Ramsay was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air" .-Early years:Ramsay was born in Glasgow on 2...
. As a student at the Jagiellonian University, Estreicher worked as an assistant to Karol Olszewski
Karol Olszewski
Karol Stanisław Olszewski was a Polish chemist, mathematician and physicist.-Life:Olszewski was a graduate of Kazimierz Brodziński High School in Tarnów . He studied at Kraków's Jagiellonian University in the departments of mathematics and physics, and chemistry and biology...
, the first chemist to liquefy oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
. After having been appointed assistant in 1899, Estreicher successfully liquefied hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
in 1901 before he was promoted to Privatdozent in 1904.
In 1900, he described the Jagiellonian globe in the Transactions of the Cracow Academy of Sciences.
From 1906 until 1919 he worked in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
a professor for mineral and general chemistry at the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg where he ran a cryogenics
Cryogenics
In physics, cryogenics is the study of the production of very low temperature and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. A person who studies elements under extremely cold temperature is called a cryogenicist. Rather than the relative temperature scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit,...
laboratory. From 1913 to 1914 he also served as dean of the department.
In 1919, aged 47, he returned to newly-independent Poland and took a position with the Jagiellonian University where he remained until his retirement. His later work examined the history and language of science.
On 6 November 1939, along with his brother Stanisław and other professors of the University, Estreicher was caught in Sonderaktion Krakau
Sonderaktion Krakau
Sonderaktion Krakau was the codename for a German operation against professors and academics from the University of Kraków and other Kraków universities at the beginning of World War II....
. Both were transported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
, where his brother died on 28 December 1939. Tadeusz survived the camp and was released in February 1940, following protests from German academics to the Nazi government.
External links
- The Faculty of Chemistry at the Jagiellonian University
- Olszewski’s apparatus at the Jagiellonian University Museum
- TADEUSZ ESTREICHER (Thaddaeus Estreicher-Rozbievski) (1871-1952). Polish chemist and historian of science ..., Obituary in Nature (69, xo080o, 1952)JSTOR