A person, unlike other living beings on the planet, tends to dream about something that is not given to him by nature. For many millennia, inquisitive minds have sought to create a mechanism that could lift a person into the sky. Nikolai Zhukovsky formulated the basic laws of aerodynamics and created the first aircraft.
Starting conditions
Many people leave a memory of themselves in future generations, thanks to an inquiring mind. In the middle of the 19th century, the idea of creating an aircraft was already "wandering" in the scientific community. Balloons were already widely used for military purposes. Nikolai Yegorovich Zhukovsky saw a balloon at a fair in the city of Vladimir as a high school student. And from that moment on, he had a desire to create an airplane. In this context, it should be noted that similar plans and projects have been developed in many European states.
The future creator of aerodynamics was born on January 17, 1847 in a noble family. Parents at that time lived in their estate Orekhovo, which was located in the Vladimir province. My father served as a military engineer and was engaged in the design of railways. The mother was engaged in housekeeping and raising children. When Nikolai was eleven years old, he was taken to Moscow and assigned to a gymnasium. In 1864 Zhukovsky completed his studies and received a silver medal for excellent marks and exemplary behavior.
Scientific activity
The winner of the silver medal was admitted to the Physics and Mathematics Department of Moscow University without exams. In 1870, Zhukovsky received a diploma in specialized education and was appointed to the position of a teacher in a women's gymnasium. Two years later, he receives a master's degree, which gives the right to teach mathematics and mechanics at the university. Nikolai Yegorovich's teaching career is developing successfully. He is promoted to professor of the Department of Mathematics. In 1887 he was invited to give lectures to students of the Moscow Higher Technical School.
Within the walls of the technical school, Professor Zhukovsky was allocated a room in which he assembled a wind tunnel according to his own drawings. By that time, a group of young people, students and engineers had formed around the professor, who were enthusiastically engaged in creativity. In 1904, the first Aerodynamic Institute in Europe was formed on the basis of the laboratory. Based on the research carried out here, Zhukovsky calculated the distribution of the air flow velocity on the propeller blades.
Recognition and privacy
Nikolai Yegorovich Zhukovsky was called the father of Russian aviation during his lifetime. He became the founder of the famous Air Force Academy. In 1920, the Council of People's Commissars established the N. E. Zhukovsky for his works in mathematics and mechanics.
Zhukovsky's personal life can be told in a nutshell. He was legally married to his fiancée at the age of twenty. The husband and wife raised and raised a son and daughter. Nikolai Yegorovich died in the spring of 1921. Buried at the Donskoy cemetery in Moscow.
