Childhood and youth
Lomonosov's biography is like the riddle of the Sphinx, because the name of Mikhail Vasilyevich is surrounded not only by auras of mystery, but also by speculation and fables. For example, some writers claim that the Russian genius was born into a poor family that could barely make ends meet, and then, as if driven by an unknown force, he went to the very heart of Russia.
Portrait of Mikhail Lomonosov
Lomonosov was born on November 8 (19), 1711 in the village of Mishaninskaya, Kurostrovskaya volost (now the village of Lomonosovo, Arkhangelsk region). The boy grew up and was raised as the only child in the wealthy family of Pomor Vasily Dorofeevich, who was known as a merchant and traded fish on his own ships.
According to the memoirs of Mikhail Vasilyevich, his father was a kind man, but extremely ignorant. When the gifted boy was 9 years old, his mother Elena Ivanovna died. After the death of his wife, Vasily Dorofeevich tried to build happiness with a certain Feodora Mikhailovna Uskova. But this beloved suffered the same fate: Theodora died in 1724, three years after her marriage.
Mikhail Lomonosov in his youth
In the same year, 1724, Lomonosov Sr. married for the third time to the widowed Irina Semenovna Korelskaya, who appeared to 13-year-old Mikhail in the form of an evil and envious stepmother, poisoning the life of her little stepson.
Rumor has it that Mikhail helped Vasily Lomonosov fish from the age of ten. Before dawn, father and son took a wicker net with them and set off for the White Sea. Mikhail Vasilyevich loved to swim across the endless expanses of water, admiring the blue of the sea waves, the beauty of the blue ice and the receding shore. And all the dangers encountered along the way, on the contrary, strengthened the young man’s physical strength. Lomonosov's numerous observations enriched his mind with reflections on the structure of nature.
Passport of Mikhail Lomonosov
It is known that Mikhail Vasilyevich became addicted to reading books from an early age. Young Lomonosov began to be taught to read and write by the local sexton S.N. Sabelnikov, who taught the young man algebra, grammar, and also introduced him to the wonderful world of literature. As a 14-year-old teenager, Mikhail read well, so he spent days and nights poring over various textbooks. We can say that he zealously devoured one book after another, trying to add new information to his treasury of knowledge.
Many people know the legend from school that Mikhail Vasilyevich, thirsting for new discoveries, went on foot to Moscow in order to receive a decent education. The reason for such an extraordinary act was an unbearable existence in his home, namely endless conflicts with Irina Semyonovna.
Handwriting of Mikhail Lomonosov
The stepmother did not like the fact that Mikhail spent all his free time leafing through books. In addition, Vasily Dorofeevich wanted to marry his son and therefore, secretly from his child, found him a bride. Having learned about his father’s idea, Lomonosov used cunning: the young man went to bed and pretended to be sick, so the wedding ceremony had to be postponed until he “recovered.”
Burdened with the hardships of life, Lomonosov, without thinking twice, collects his things (two shirts, a sheepskin coat and several books), waits until nightfall and, without saying goodbye to either his stepmother or his father, secretly runs away from home. On the third day of the journey on foot, in December 1730, the young man caught up with the caravan and asked the fishermen for permission to go on a long journey with them. After three weeks of wandering through snowdrifts, in January 1731, Mikhail Vasilyevich arrived in the capital. The approximate distance from his home village to the heart of Russia is 1160 km.
Mikhail Lomonosov arrives in Moscow
There is still debate among scientists to this day, because some are sure that a 19-year-old boy could not cover such a distance on foot, especially in winter. However, the fact that Lomonosov traveled with a fish train means that the young man often alternated between relaxing on carts and walking. According to another version, Mikhail Vasilyevich traveled a significant part of the journey on horseback. Lomonosov wanted to become a student at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, so in order to carry out his idea, he forged documents and for a time became for the rector's office a descendant of a Kholmogory nobleman.
Mikhail Lomonosov at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy
Mikhail Vasilyevich stayed at the educational institution for five years, during which time he studied the Latin language, theological books and became acquainted with the “then” science. According to the scientist’s recollections, fellow students made fun of him at the academy, since Lomonosov was poorly dressed (he was content with one altyn a day). In 1735, Mikhail Vasilyevich was enrolled in St. Petersburg University at the Academy of Sciences, where he learned the basics of mathematics, physics and tried to write poetry.
A year later, in March, Mikhail Vasilyevich and twelve other capable university students, by decision of the Academy of Sciences, were sent to study in Europe. Lomonosov spent five years abroad, but young people constantly faced troubles. The educational institution delayed transferring money, so many students had to live in debt. Initially, Mikhail Vasilyevich studied in Marburg, but then moved to Freiberg (Germany).
Diploma of Mikhail Lomonosov
There Lomonosov met his mentor Genkel, who taught the student metallurgy and mining. In 1739, a conflict arose between Mikhail Vasilyevich and the mineralogist I. Genkel. The stumbling block was the young scientist’s refusal to do the dirty work. The tension between the teacher and the students grew at the speed of light, to the point that Johann refused to give his “subordinates” money for maintenance. In 1740, Mikhail Vasilyevich, taking the assay scales with weights, left Freiberg once and for all.
Brief biography of Lomonosov
Among the biographies of scientists, Lomonosov occupies a special place because he also entered science as an astronomer and instrument maker, geographer and metallurgist, geologist, poet, philologist, artist, historian and genealogist, a champion of the development of domestic education, science and economics.
Such a number of areas of knowledge gives us every right to claim that Mikhail Lomonosov is one of the few examples of a universal genius.
It is unlikely that a short biography of Lomonosov will allow us to cover all aspects of the life of this unique personality, but the most important thing .
early years
Mikhail Lomonosov was born on November 8, 1711 in the village of Mishaninskaya, in the Arkhangelsk province. Until the mid-18th century, the villages of Denisovka and Mishanskaya existed separately, and then were united into one village of Lomonosovo.
Lomonosov's parents were wealthy people, since his father Vasily was an active and hardworking fisherman. Mikhail began going to sea with his father from an early age.
Lomonosov studied literacy and reading from the deacon of the local Dmitrov church. At the age of 14, Mikhail already knew how to read and write correctly, which was quite a lot for that time and place.
When little Mikhail was 8 years old, his own mother died. The father married two more times, and the last, third wife, hated Mikhail Lomonosov from the very beginning. This greatly depressed the young genius, and upon learning that his father was going to marry him, at the age of 19 he decided to flee to Moscow.
Early on a December morning, he runs away from home, and three days later he catches up with a caravan of fishermen heading to Moscow. Having begged them not to drive him away, he safely arrives with them in the capital.
Years of study and activities
To enter the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, Lomonosov forged documents, posing as the son of a Kholmogory nobleman. The fact is that the road to educational institutions was closed to ordinary peasants.
Thus begins a difficult period in Lomonosov’s biography. Poverty and constant need deprived the future scientist of many urgent needs, but he continued his studies with incredible persistence, absorbing more and more new knowledge.
In 1734-1735 he studied at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, and then returned to Moscow to graduate from the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy.
In 1736, among the best students, he went to study in Germany, where he studied technical and natural sciences. At the same time, he masters foreign languages and studies European literature. Begins to translate works of fiction.
A short biography of Mikhail Lomonosov does not allow us to tell in all its glory what an incredibly inquisitive and inquisitive nature he was. He studies many sciences, conducts experiments, and gives lectures. But even with such colossal busyness, he manages to regularly and deeply study poetry, literature and history.
In 1739 he married the daughter of his landlady in Germany, and in 1741 Mikhail Vasilyevich returned to his homeland in Russia.
In 1742, Lomonosov was appointed adjunct of physics at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, and 3 years later became a professor of chemistry.
Unique heritage
Lomonosov's contribution to various fields of science is very great. For example, it was he who first put forward the idea that the entire material world consists of atoms and molecules. Officially, the scientific world started talking about this only 100 years later.
He also laid the foundations of physical chemistry, which explains chemical phenomena based on the laws of physics.
His molecular-kinetic theory of heat in many ways anticipated the modern understanding of the structure of matter and many fundamental laws, including one of the principles of thermodynamics.
Independently of Leonardo da Vinci (whose work was found much later), Mikhail Lomonosov invented the first helicopter prototype.
His literary work contains works in different languages: “Russian History”, tragedies “Tamara and Selim”, “Demophon”, poems and much more.
In 1754, Lomonosov developed a project for Moscow University, which was later named after him. In addition to all that has been said, Lomonosov’s short biography is significant for the discovery of the law of conservation of matter, the writing of works on color theory, and the construction of many optical instruments.
Lomonosov also made a great contribution to history. The scientist created “A Brief Russian Chronicler with Genealogy,” where he described the main events of Russian history from 862 to 1725. This publication made it easier to work with historical documents and became very popular among readers.
Mikhail Vasilyevich seriously studied rhetoric and literature, becoming, in fact, the founder of the Russian language.
Demise
Death overtook Mikhail Lomonosov at the age of 54 years. The great scientist died of pneumonia on April 4, 1765, and was buried at the Lazarevskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.
Science and literature
There are rumors that Mikhail Vasilyevich had not only a brilliant mind, but also phenomenal intuition and even extrasensory perception: he penetrated the secrets of the Universe with the mere power of thought and made discoveries that were ahead of his time. Moreover, it is surprising that the genius was a brilliant scholar in any field, be it physical phenomena, chemical transformations, or a combination of lines in a poem.
Moreover, great poets such as Alexander Pushkin and Vasily Zhukovsky later relied on Lomonosov’s works, and “Ode on the Day of the Accession to the All-Russian Throne of Her Majesty Empress Elizabeth Petrovna 1747” is an indisputable monument of Russian literature.
Mikhail Lomonosov in high society
It is reliably known that Mikhail Vasilyevich began to study science seriously in 1737–1738. Proof of the young student’s success in comprehending the natural and exact sciences was Lomonosov’s debut work, which is called “On the transformation of a solid into a liquid, depending on the movement of the preceding liquid,” where the scientist examined various states of aggregation. And for his dissertation “On Metallic Luster”, Mikhail Vasilyevich was awarded a professorship in 1745. After receiving a title in science, Lomonosov became a nobleman.
Mikhail Lomonosov in the chemical laboratory
It is worth saying that the results obtained during the scientist’s chemical and physical experiments were distinguished by their accuracy; Mikhail Vasilyevich was practically not mistaken in his conclusions. His scientific works helped his contemporaries move from alchemy and natural philosophy to the current methods of natural science. He formulated the foundations of the kinetic theory of gases, discovered the law of conservation of energy, explained the mystery of thunderstorms and the northern lights, made colored glass and paints, and subjected ore to chemical analysis. It was he who came up with the basics of physical chemistry.
Book by Mikhail Lomonosov
Mikhail Vasilyevich, supporting the works of Copernicus, often studied astronomy: the talented scientist became the discoverer of the atmosphere on Venus, he also created multiple expeditions and improved the reflective telescope (Lomonosov-Herschel system). The chemist also became one of the first servants of science who guessed that the star called the Sun is a huge ball of fire, because “there are fiery shafts rushing, fiery whirlwinds spinning and stones boil like water.”
Aerodrome machine of Mikhail Lomonosov
Among other things, Lomonosov introduced new concepts into the Russian language (horizon, refraction of rays, atom, molecule, temperature, etc.), giving it a scientific style, because previously technical terms were denoted by Latin words that were incomprehensible to the people. Lomonosov was so ahead of his time that some of his works were published only after the death of the scientist, because during the life of Mikhail Vasilyevich they were classified and not published for centuries.
House of Mikhail Lomonosov on the Moika, St. Petersburg
One day, the genius wrote a letter to his friend Alexander Shuvalov, who was a confidant of Elizabeth Petrovna and a favorite of Peter III. In that manuscript, Mikhail Vasilyevich discussed the preservation and proliferation of the Russian people. But even such an educated person as Alexander Ivanovich chose to hide Lomonosov’s message under the carpet, keeping it from the public eye.
Character of a scientist
Lomonosov's character is well described by the words “strong” or the poetic “northern”. Biographers claim that his frequent trips to sea made him such a scientist. Mikhail Lomonosov traveled with his father, who was engaged in fishing, from the age of 10. Life on the road, deprived of comfort, strengthened Mikhail Vasilyevich.
Lomonosov showed decisiveness early on, moving to Moscow at the age of 19. The guy ran away from home secretly. He strove to find himself in a world where he would have fewer obstacles, on the way to realizing his main dream - the realization of numerous ambitions.
By that time, it was clear to everyone that Mikhail was purposeful and smart beyond his years. Those close to Lomonosov adhered to this opinion until the end of his days. They also claimed that Mikhail Vasilyevich was significantly ahead of his time, looked into the future and saw it clearly.
Speaking about genius, one cannot help but recall his temper, because of which Lomonosov often participated in fights. One of the many assaults ended in court for the great genius.
The habit of proving with his fists what cannot be proven with words has been with him all his life. She also made Lomonosov the hero of jokes ridiculing his youthful ardor, which did not fade over the years. Lomonosov treated such funny tales calmly. This speaks of Lomonosov’s good sense of humor, his ability for self-irony and even self-criticism.
Personal life
In the autumn of 1736, Lomonosov began renting a room from the widow of a Marburg brewer. The owner’s 19-year-old daughter, Elizaveta Tsilkh, also lived there and was expecting children from Mikhail Vasilyevich. The lovers married on May 26, 1740 in Marburg. The scientist's first daughter, Catherine-Elizabeth, was born out of wedlock and was therefore considered illegitimate. The girl died in 1743.
Mikhail Lomonosov with his wife
On December 22, 1741, Mikhail Lomonosov again became a father. The wife gives the servant of science a son, who was named Ivan. In 1742, a one-year-old boy also died. In 1749, a girl, Elena, was born into the Lomonosov family, who became the only surviving child. Thus, Mikhail Vasilyevich did not leave descendants who could continue the Lomonosov family (the scientist had no sons).
Report No. 2
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov comes from the simplest family by origin: his mother is a peasant, his father is a Pomeranian. At the age of 9, Mikhail lost his mother, and after that his father married again. From a very early age, Mikhail Vasilyevich was fond of reading, which greatly irritated his stepmother. Because of the eternal conflicts with her, life in the parental home became unbearable, and the father’s decision to marry him became another reason for escaping to Moscow. At night, Mikhail, at the age of 19, left home, and three weeks later Lomonosov found himself in Moscow.
In order to continue his studies at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, the future academician forged documents and pretended to be the son of a nobleman. After studying at the academy for some time, Lomonosov went to Kyiv for several months at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. In 1735 he became a university student at the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. But already in the fall of next year I went to Germany to gain knowledge in the field of chemistry and mining. Over the 5 years of living and studying abroad, Lomonosov not only improved his knowledge of the German language, but also learned other European languages: French and Italian, as well as dancing, drawing and fencing. However, Mikhail Vasilyevich’s training in metallurgy and mining did not last long. Due to strained relations between him and the teacher (Henkel), he left. After leaving, Lomonosov devoted all his time to studying chemistry and mathematics.
Returning to his homeland in 1741, Mikhail Vasilyevich continued to engage in scientific activities: he described mineralogical collections, made translations, and also wrote dissertations and odes. In 1742, for his scientific works, he was appointed adjunct of the Academy in the physics class. It was on the initiative of Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov that the first chemical laboratory was created at the Academy of Sciences.
After writing a dissertation on metallurgy in 1741, M.V. Lomonosov was appointed professor. A number of different works in the field of chemistry and physics followed. Thanks to Mikhail Vasilyevich, the physical terminology familiar to us is introduced.
One of the first Russian glass factories was founded by M. V. Lomonosov. There he was able to engage in glass production and coloring. The ore and salt business remained not without his attention. The article “On the Layers of the Earth” is recognized as one of the most outstanding works in this area.
Mikhail Vasilyevich also left a big mark in the field of geography and astronomy. In his essay “A Brief Description of Various Travels in the Northern Seas and an Indication of the Possible Passage of the Siberian Ocean to Eastern India,” he sets out the idea of developing the Northern Sea Route. However, it was only under Soviet rule that Lomonosov’s work in the field of geography was truly appreciated. In the field of astronomy, Mikhail Vasilyevich made a great discovery: he proved the presence of a denser atmosphere on Venus.
Speaking about the life and scientific activities of Mikhail Vasilyevich, we should not forget about his works in the field of literature. At the end of the 40s of the 18th century, he published “A Brief Guide to Eloquence,” which was used as a textbook for a long time.
7th grade
Death
The great scientist died on April 4 (15), 1765 at the 54th year of his life. The cause of death was pneumonia. The next year after the death of the servant of science, the book “Ancient Russian history from the beginning of the Russian people to the death of the Grand Duke Yaroslav the First or until 1054”, conceived in two volumes, was published. Lomonosov did not have time to write the second volume.
Mikhail Lomonosov's grave
It is known that when Mikhail Vasilyevich died, Grigory Orlov (by order of Catherine II) sealed the surviving manuscripts of Lomonosov. Later, the library and the scientist’s papers were transported to the palace and soon sank into oblivion. According to rumors, those close to the authorities were afraid that Lomonosov’s documents “would fall into the wrong hands.” The grave of the genius is located at the Lazarevskoye cemetery.
Mikhail Lomonosov
Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov
born (8) November 19, 1711 in the village of Mishaninskaya, Arkhangelsk province. His father was a black-growing peasant who had land and vessels for fishing along the Murmansk coast. The mother died when her son was 9 years old. As a teenager, Mikhail Lomonosov constantly traveled with his father to the fields. In his free time, he read - fortunately, the future scientist was taught to read and write early. In 1731, Mikhail Lomonosov, having joined the convoy, secretly went to Moscow to study from his father.
In Moscow he is accepted into the Spassky Schools. A twenty-year-old boy studies in the same class with small children. His success, diligence and exemplary behavior are quickly noticed by the school authorities. In one year, Lomonosov takes three classes at once.
In 1736, he was among the twelve best students of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, sent to St. Petersburg to study at the Academy of Sciences.
In the autumn of the same year, Lomonosov was sent to Germany to study chemistry and mining. In addition, he was ordered to “study natural history, physics, geometry and trigonometry, mechanics, hydraulics and hydraulic engineering.” In 1741, by order of the Academy, Lomonosov returned to St. Petersburg and soon became an adjunct in physics at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
His contribution to Russian science can hardly be overestimated. Natural scientist, poet, reformer of the Russian language; the first Russian academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1745), member of the Academy of Arts (1763).
In 1755, on the initiative of Lomonosov, Moscow University was founded, which in 1940 was named after Lomonosov. His discoveries enriched many branches of knowledge. Lomonosov developed atomic and molecular ideas about the structure of matter, expressed the principle of conservation of matter and motion, laid the foundations of physical chemistry, and studied atmospheric electricity and gravity. He put forward the doctrine of light. Created a number of optical instruments. Discovered the atmosphere on the planet Venus. He described the structure of the Earth, explained the origin of many minerals and minerals.
He was the largest poet of the 18th century, the creator of the Russian ode of philosophical and high civil sound, the author of poems, poetic messages, tragedies, satires, philological works and scientific grammar of the Russian language. He revived the art of mosaic and the production of smalt and, together with his students, created mosaic paintings. Author of works on the history of Russia.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (4) died on April 15, 1765 in St. Petersburg and was buried at the Lazarevskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Interesting Facts
- Journalist Dmitry Semushin is sure that the scientist’s parent was not involved in navigation, and his belonging to the Pomors is just a beautiful myth. The fact is that the surviving documents with information about Lomonosov’s father say that the head of the family was a peasant of the Kuroostrovskaya volost and a Dvinian, but there is not a single word about the Pomors in this certificate. The biography of the scientist was written by the talented Russian historian Vladimir Ivanovich Lamansky, it was he who made Lomonosov the son of a fishmonger, and his work influenced further “Lomonosology.”
Monument to Mikhail Lomonosov
- Contemporaries of Mikhail Vasilyevich used to say that the scientist had a tough temper. Once he was even taken into custody due to drunken brawling.
- For an ode that praises Elizaveta Petrovna, the scientist received two thousand rubles as a reward. True, at the time the money was issued, there were only copper coins in the royal treasury, so Mikhail Afanasyevich had to rent two carts to load the cash.
- In Germany, Mikhail Vasilyevich met an inquisitive young man, Georg Richmann, who showed a keen interest in the scientist’s work. While participating in one of the experiments, Georg died from ball lightning.
- In honor of the scientist, the serial film “Mikhailo Lomonosov” was released in 1986.
- Mikhail Vasilyevich became the founder of a university located in Moscow (MSU).
“I experienced everything and penetrated everything...”
In 1730, Lomonosov went to Moscow with a fish train. His father let him go for a while. Mikhail promised to return. Having reached the place, he learned that in Moscow there was an excellent school for those times - the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. Lomonosov decided to go there. Having indicated in the application form that he was the son of a nobleman (children of peasants were not accepted into the academy), Mikhail was accepted by a happy coincidence. In general, there was a lot of luck in his life, he was incredibly lucky.
Lomonosov studied at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy for about five years. He did this with indomitable greed. During his years of study, he mastered Latin, the scientific language of that time, and became interested in rhetoric and history. Having received an education in the humanities, Mikhail became interested in the natural sciences, with which the situation was much worse at the academy.
And again he was lucky: a request came from the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences to send several of the most intelligent students to continue their studies, to whom Lomonosov undoubtedly belonged.
Lomonosov in the chemical laboratory. Source: regnum.ru
The St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences was founded by Peter I in 1724. It was mainly staffed by German scientists who came to Russia on contract terms. According to the plan of Peter the Great, a university was created at the academy to train students. It was there that Lomonosov found himself, among the other twelve best students of the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy.
Arriving in St. Petersburg, at his new place of study, he found out that only German was spoken at the academy. Mikhail did not know German. He sat down to books and, in almost a year, eliminated this gap. And suddenly, again, a happy occasion: a vacancy opened up to study abroad, in Germany. They again paid attention to Lomonosov, who knew Latin and could speak German.
In 1736, among the best students of the Academy of Sciences, Mikhail was sent to Marburg to study mining, physics, chemistry, and also receive a comprehensive European education. There he learned French, fencing and dancing. Lomonosov spent three years at the University of Marburg, then moved to Freiberg. Here he began studying mining and chemistry. The latest science gave him the idea of creating a chemical laboratory in Russia.
In 1740, financial difficulties and discord in relations with Johann Henkel, his mentor, forced Lomonosov to leave the University of Freiberg. He wandered around Europe for about a year, enduring all sorts of hardships. Fate even brought him into the Prussian army, from where, after serving for several weeks, he successfully deserted.
