| Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin | |
|---|---|
Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin
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| Born | October 9, 1858 Idvor in Banat, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire |
| Died | March 12, 1935 (aged 76) New York |
| Citizenship | Serbian, American |
| Fields | Physics |
| Alma mater | Columbia College |
| Doctoral students | Robert Andrews Millikan, Irving Langmuir, Edwin Howard Armstrong |
| Known for | long-distance telephone communication |
| Notable awards | IEEE Medal of Honor[1] Edison Medal[2] 1924 Pulitzer Prize |
Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin, Ph.D, LL.D. (9 October 1858[3][4] – 12 March 1935; Serbian Cyrillic: Михајло Идворски Пупин), also known as Michael I. Pupin, was a Serbian physicist and physical chemist. Pupin is best known for his numerous patents, including a means of greatly extending the range of long-distance telephone communication by placing loading coils (of wire) at predetermined intervals along the transmitting wire (known as "pupinization").
Mihajlo Pupin was born on October 9 (September 27, OS) 1854. in village Idvor (today municipality of Kovačica) in Banat, Austrian Empire.
He always remembered the words of his mother and cited her in his famous autobiography:
| “ | My child, If you want to go to the world, about which you have so much listened in our villages, you need to have another pair of eyes – eyes for reading and writing. In the world there are so many thing about which you can not know unless you can not read and write. Knowledge, those are the golden scales through which is the way to heaven; knowledge is the light which illuminates our way through life and leads us to life of the future full of eternal glory. | ” |
Pupin went to elementarily school in his birth place, to Serbian orthodox school, and later to German elementarily school in Perlez. He enrolled high school in Pančevo, and later in Realka.
He was one of the best students and because of that he got a studentship. Local archpriest saw his enormous potential and talent, and influenced the authorities to give Pupin a studentship.
Because of his activity in movement “Serbian youth”, which at that time had many problems with German police authorities, Pupin had to leave Pančevo. In 1872. he went to Prague, where he continued the sixth and first half of the seventh year. After his father died, in march 1874. twenty year old Pupin decided to cancel his education in Prague due to financial problems and to move to America.
| “ | When I landed at Castle Garden, forty-eight years ago, I had only five cents in my pocket. Had I brought five hundred dollars, instead of five cents, my immediate career in the new, and to me a perfectly strange, land would have been the same. A young immigrant such as I was then does not begin his career until he has spent all the money which he has brought with him. I brought five cents, and immediately spent it upon a piece of prune pie, which turned out to be a bougus prune pie. Ie contained nothig but pita of prunes. If I had brought five hundred dollars, it would have taken me a little longer to spend it, mostly upon bogus thing, but the struggle which awaited me would have been the same in each case. It is no handicap to a boy immigrant to land here penniless; it is not a handicap to any boy to be penniless when he striker out for an independent career, provided that he has the stamina to stand the hardships that may be in store for him.[5] | ” |
For next five years in USA he worked as a manual labour (most notably, the biscuit factory on Cortlandt Street in Manhattan) and alongside he was learning english, greek and latin. He also gave private lectures. After three years of various curses, in the autumn of 1879. he successfully finished test and entered Columbia College in 1879, where he became known as an exceptional athlete and scholar.
A friend of Pupin's predicted that his physique would make him a splendid oarsman, and that Columbia would do anything for a good oarsman. A popular student, he was elected president of his class in his Junior year. He graduated with honors in 1883 and became an American citizen at the same time.
He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Berlin under Hermann von Helmholtz, and in 1889 he returned to Columbia University to become a lecturer of mathematical physics in the newly formed Department of Electrical Engineering. Pupin's research pioneered carrier wave detection and current analysis.[6]
Pupin finished his studies in 1883. as one of the best students, especially in the field of physics and mathematics, which gave him a diploma. Later, he came back to Europe, first United Kingdom (1883–1885) where he continued his schooling at the University of Cambridge.
Pupin's 1899 patent for loading coils, archaically called "Pupin coils", followed closely on the pioneering work of the English physicist and mathematician Oliver Heaviside, which predates Pupin's patent by some seven years.
The importance of the patent was made clear when the American rights to it were acquired by American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T), making him wealthy. Although AT&T bought Pupin's patent, they made little use of it, as they already had their own development in hand led by George Campbell and had up to this point been challenging Pupin with Campbell's own patent. AT&T were afraid they would lose control of an invention which was immensely valuable due to its ability to greatly extend the range of long distance telephones.
Pupin was among the first to replicate Roentgen's production of x-rays in the United States. He in 1896 invented the method of placing a sheet of paper impregnated with fluorescent dyes next to the photographic plate, thereby permitting an exposure of only a few seconds, rather than that of an hour or more.[6]
When the USA joined World War I in 1917, Pupin was working at Columbia University, organizing a research group for submarine detection technique.[7] Together with his colleagues professors Wils and Morcroft, he performed numerous researches with the aim to discover submarines in Key West and New London. He also conducted researches in Kie field of establishing telecommunications between places. During the war Pupin was a member of the state council for research and state advisory board for aeronautics. For his works he received a laudative from president Warren G. Harding, which was published in his autobiography on the 386th page.[8]
In the year 1912, Serbian Kingdom named Pupin a honorary consul in the USA, performing his duty until 1920. He made a great contributions to the establishment of international and social relations between Kingdom of Serbia, and later Kingdom of Yugoslavia and USA.
After the world war I, Pupin was already well-known and acclaimed scientist and politically influential figure in America, and he influenced on the final decisions of Paris peace conference when the boarders of the future kingdom (of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians) were drawn. Pupin stayed in Paris for two months during the peace talk (April–May 1919) on the insistence of the government.[9]
| “ | My home town is Idvor, but this fact says little because Idvor can’t be found on the map. That is a small village which is found near the main road in Banat, which belonged to Austro-Hungary, and now is an important part of Serbs, Croatians and Slovenians Kingdom. This province on the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, was requested by the Romanians, but their request was invalid. They could not negate the fact that the majority of the inhabitants were Serbs, especially in the Idvor area. President Wilson and Mr. Lancing knew me personally and whey found out that I was originally from Banat, Romanian reasons lost its weight.[10] | ” |
According to the London agreement from 1915. it was planned that Italy should get Dalmatia. After the secret London agreement France, England and Russia asked from Serbia some territorial concessions to Romania and Bulgaria. Romania should have gotten Banat and Bulgaria should have gotten a part of Macedonia all the way to Skoplje.[9]
In a difficult situation during the negotiations on the boarders of Yugoslavia, Pupin personally wrote a memorandum on March 19, 1919 to the USA president Woodrow Wilson, who based on the data received from Pupin historical and ethnic characteristics of boarder areas of Dalmatia, Slovenia, Istria, Banat, Međimurje, Baranja and Macedonia, stated that he did not recognize the London agreement signed between allies and Italy.
Pupin in 1914. formed “Fund Pijade Aleksic-Pupin” within Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts [11] to commemorate his mother Olipijada for all the support she gave to him through life. Fund assets were used for helping schools in old Serbia and Macedonia, and scholarships were awarded every year on the Saint Sava day. One street in Ohrid was named after Mihajlo Pupin in 1930 to honour his efforts. He also established a separate “Mihajlo Pupin fund” which he funded from his own property in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which he later gave to “Privrednik” for schooling of young people and for prizes in “exceptional achievements in agriculture”, as well as for Idvor for giving prizes to pupils and to help the church district.[12]
Thanks to Pupin’s donations, library in Idvor got a reading room, schooling of young people for agriculture sciences was founded, as well as the electrification and waterplant in Idvor.[13]
Pupin established a foundation in the museum of nature-history-and-arts in Belgrade. The funds of the foundation were used for purchasing of artistic works of Serbian artists for the museum and for publishing certain publications. Pupin invested a million dollars in the funds of the foundation.[12]
In America, in 1909. he established one of the oldest Serbian emigrant organization – Union of Serbs - “Sloga”. The organization had a mission to gather Serbs in imigration and offer help, as well as keeping ethnic and cultural values. This organization later merged with three other imigant societies.[14]
Other emigrant organizations in to one large Serbian national foundation, and Pupin was one of its founders and a long time president (1909–1926)).
He also organized “Kolo srpskih sestara” (english: Circle of Serbian sisters) who gathered help for the Serbian Red Cross, and he also helped gathering of volunteers for the fist world war war fronts in Yugoslavia with the help of Serbian patriotic organization called “Serbian national defence” which he ran, and also founded. Later, during the world war two this organization was rehabilited by Jovan Ducic and worked with the same mission. Pupin guaranteed the delivery of food supplies to Serbia with his own resources, and he also was the head of the committee for help to victims of war. He also founded the Serbian society for helping children which provided medicine, clothes and shelters for war orphans.[15]
Besides his patents he published several dozens of scientific disputes, articles, reviews and the autobiography in 1923. in English From immigrant to inventor for which he received a Pulitzer Prize in 1924.[16][17] It was published in Serbian in 1929 under the title From pastures to scientist (Od pašnjaka do naučenjaka).[18] Beside this he also published:
The Physical Laboratories building on the Columbia university, built in 1927 is named Pupin Hall in his honor. It houses the physics and astronomy departments of the university. During Pupins tenure, in the year 1931. Harold C. Urey, in his work with hydrogen isotope deuterium demonstrated the existence of heavy water, the first major scientific breakthrough in the newly founded laboratories. Urey won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934. for this work.[19]
Pupin released about 70 technical articles and reviews[20] and 34 patents.[21]
| Number of patent | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Patent 519,346 Apparatus for telegraphic or telephonic transmission | 8 May 1894 | |
| U.S. Patent 519,347 Transformer for telegraphic, telephonic or other electrical systems | 8 May 1894 | |
| U.S. Patent 640,515 Art of distributing electrical energy by alternating currents | 2 January 1900 | |
| U.S. Patent 640,516 Electrical transmission by resonance circuits | 2 January 1900 | |
| U.S. Patent 652,230 Art of reducing attenuation of electrical waves and apparatus therefore | 19 June 1900 | |
| U.S. Patent 652,231 Method of reducing attenuation of electrical waves and apparatus therefore | 19 June 1900 | |
| U.S. Patent 697,660 Winding-machine | 15 April 1902 | |
| U.S. Patent 707,007 Multiple telegraphy | 12 August 1902 | |
| U.S. Patent 707,008 Multiple telegraphy | 12 August 1902 | |
| U.S. Patent 713,044 Producing asymmetrical currents from symmetrical alternating electromotive process | 4 November 1902 | |
| U.S. Patent 768,301 Wireless electrical signalling | 23 August 1904 | |
| U.S. Patent 761,995 Apparatus for reducing attenuation of electric waves | 7 June 1904 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,334,165 Electric wave transmission | 16 March 1920 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,336,378 Antenna with distributed positive resistance | 6 April 1920 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,388,877 Sound generator | 3 December 1921 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,388,441 Multiple antenna for electrical wave transmission | 23 December 1921 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,415,845 Selective opposing impedance to received electrical oscillation | 9 May 1922 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,416,061 Radio receiving system having high selectivity | 10 May 1922 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,456,909 Wave conductor | 29 May 1922 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,452,833 Selective amplifying apparatus | 24 April 1923 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,446,769 Aperiodic pilot conductor | 23 February 1923 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,488,514 Selective amplifying apparatus | 1 April 1923 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,494,803 Electrical tuning | 29 May 1923 | |
| U.S. Patent 1,503,875 Tone producing radio receiver | 29 April 1923 |
After going to America, he changed his name to Michael Idvorsky Pupin, stressing his origin. His father was named Constantine and mother Olimpijada and Pupin had four brothers and five sisters. In 1888. he maried American Sarah Catharine Jackson from New York, with whom he had a daughter named Barbara. They were married only for eight years, because she died from pneumonia.
Pupin had a reputation not only as a great scientist but also a great person. He was known for his manners, great knowlage, love of his homeland and availability to everyone. Pupin was a great philanthropist and patron of the arts. He was a devoted Orthodox Christian and a prominent Freemason.[28]
Mihajlo Pupin died in New York City in 1935 at age 76 and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx.
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