Ivan Kulibin

Kulibin Ivan Petrovich was born in the Nizhny Novgorod province in April 1735. His father was a small merchant, the family lived in an estate in the suburb of Podnovye. Today, there is a memorial sign at this place in Nizhny Novgorod, but the estate itself has not been preserved.

It is known about Kulibin's childhood and youth that the boy read a lot and was fond of technology, as far as it was possible at that time. The profession of a merchant did not appeal to him. He trained as a locksmith, turner and watchmaker. Apart from this, he received no education.

Thanks to his hard work, he managed to impress the empress. Kulibin presented her with an amazing watch with a chime, music and tiny figurines that moved under the action of a clock mechanism.

For this historical gift, Ivan Petrovich was appointed in 1769 the head of the mechanical workshop of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Thus began the work of the famous master, engineer and inventor in the capital of Russia.

Vane water engine

Among the inventions of Kulibin, a waterway stands out, the principle of operation of which was similar to a horse-drawn vessel. Such cargo ships were used in Russia along with burlatsky ones. The anchor of a loaded ship was thrown far ahead, brought in on a boat, and then with the help of horses the ship was pulled up to it. The mechanism was water wheels driven by the flow of river water. Through the gear transmission, the rotation was transmitted to another axis, on which the anchor chain was wound. While the ship was pulling itself up to the first anchor, the second was thrown far ahead, and the ship moved on.

In total, Kulibin created three projects for the waterway, the last one only on paper. The test of the first model was not successful enough to impress officials from the water department. They considered the project too expensive and inefficient, barge haulers are able to drag cargo over a greater distance in one day. Although the inventor made significant improvements to the first draft, it was rejected.

Elevator for Her Imperial Majesty

Catherine II herself was the customer of the inventor. Over the years, it became more and more difficult for her to move around her huge palace, and the elevator with ropes attached under the roof of the building categorically did not suit her majesty.

A resourceful engineer proposed a mechanism that did not need any ropes. The "lifting chair" moved up and down on vertical screws and was a simple and safe device. It was under the power of one strong man to put it into action. After the death of the empress, the lifting mechanism was no longer needed in the palace, and its shaft was bricked up.

The first idea of ​​a bridge across the Neva

The capital needed a stable crossing of the Neva. The floating bridges that existed at that time had to be bred during the ice drift. The design of the single-arch bridge proposed by Kulibin solved this problem.

Having designed a 300-meter single-span bridge, the engineer created his model in one-tenth of the original. It was installed and successfully tested in the Tauride Garden in front of skeptics and doubters. However, the bridge across the Neva, designed by Kulibin, was never built.

The project of a single-span bridge across the Neva

Its design was advanced for its time and met the requirements stated in the competition for a bridge across the Thames. This competition strengthened the Russian inventor in the idea that his ideas correspond to the spirit of the time and reflect the real needs of the city.

Self-propelled stroller - the prototype of the first car

Kulibin's self-propelled gun developed speeds of up to sixteen kilometers per hour - unprecedented at that time for such an innovative vehicle. In fact, it was a bicycle with a complex gearbox, brakes and steering mechanisms. For the sake of reducing the weight of the stroller, Kulibin developed it with three wheels.

The person who set the wheelchair in motion, pressing the pedals, had the opportunity to rest - the wheelchair could go on its own for some time. "Self-running carriage" had a flywheel and rolling bearings. It was noted that the stroller had a very soft ride, despite the high speed.

The current model of a self-propelled carriage exists, it was reproduced according to Kulibin's drawings. The invention was not put into production, like many other creations of the master. Among the nobility, who only entertained themselves with new mechanisms, there was no person with a commercial streak and understanding of the prospects of technology.

Model of a self-running carriage by Ivan Kulibin

First prosthesis

The lieutenant, who lost his leg during the assault on Ochakov, managed to continue his military career and rise to the rank of major general thanks to a prosthetic leg designed by Ivan Kulibin. It was not just a "wooden leg" replacing a limb.

The prosthesis was made of metal and consisted of several parts. The lower leg, hollow inside (for ease of construction), was connected by a hinge to the foot on a spring, which, when walking, bent and straightened, and when putting on clothes was fixed in the desired position.

The fastening of the prosthesis to the body was also carefully thought out. A system of splints and straps securely and comfortably fastened the artificial leg to the torso. The inventor provided special support bars for the correct distribution of weight when walking.

Ivan Petrovich Kulibin was married three times and had a total of six sons and eight daughters.

He married for the first time at the age of 24 in Nizhny Novgorod. From this marriage sons Pavel, Joseph, Semyon and four daughters were born. A wife named Natalya died in St. Petersburg.

He remarried at the age of 50 in St. Petersburg to Avdotya Vasilievna Shcherbakova. From this marriage sons Dmitry, Alexander , Peter and one daughter were born. Avdotya Vasilievna died after giving birth, shortly after moving to Nizhny Novgorod.

He married for the third time at the age of 70 to the Nizhny Novgorod bourgeois Marya Ivanovna Dokukina. From this marriage he had three daughters.

Famous names of daughters: Elizabeth (eldest daughter), Pelageya, Maria, Alexandra, Evdokia, Kapitolina.