Great inventions of Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov. "Russian candle"

Pavel Yablochkov was born in 1847 on a family estate in the Serdobsky district of the Saratov province. The family was not very rich, but was able to give their children a good upbringing and education.

Little information about Yablochkov’s childhood and adolescence has been preserved in Yablochkov’s biography, but it is known that he was distinguished by an inquisitive mind, good abilities, and loved to build and design.

After home education, Pavel entered the Saratov gymnasium in 1862, where he was considered a capable student. His studies at the gymnasium did not last long, as he left for St. Petersburg. Here he entered a preparatory boarding school, which was led by military engineer and composer Cesar Antonovich Cui. The preparatory boarding school helped Pavel Nikolaevich enter the Military Engineering School in 1863.

Unfortunately, the military school did not fully satisfy the future engineer, with his varied technical interests. In 1866, having received the rank of second lieutenant, he was sent to the 5th sapper battalion of the engineering team of the Kyiv fortress. The new position and work did not provide any opportunities for the development of creative forces, and at the end of 1867 Yablochkov resigned.

The engineer Yablochkov was of great interest in the practical application of electricity. But in Russia at that time there were no special opportunities to expand knowledge in this direction. The only place in Russia where electrical engineering was studied was the Officer Galvanic Classes. Within a year, Pavel Yablochkov, again in an officer's uniform, completed the school course. Here he learned military minecraft, demolition technology, the design and use of galvanic elements, and military telegraphy.

Yablochkov perfectly understood the prospects for the development of electricity in military affairs and in everyday life. Unfortunately, the conservatism of the military environment constrained his capabilities and interests. At the end of his compulsory year's service, he is discharged again and his civilian work as an electrical engineer begins.

Electricity was most actively used in the telegraph, and Pyotr Nikolaevich immediately got a job as head of the telegraph service of the Moscow-Kursk Railway. It was here that he had to face various issues of practical electrical engineering, which worried him very much.

Other engineers also showed interest in electrical engineering. The Moscow Polytechnic Museum became a place where enthusiasts of this business gathered. At the museum, Pavel Nikolaevich was able to engage in practical experiments. Here he met with the outstanding Russian electrical engineer V. N. Chikolev, from whom he learned about A. N. Lodygin’s experiments in the design of incandescent lamps. This line of work captured Pavel Nikolaevich so much that he abandoned his work on the railway.

Yablochkov created a workshop for physical instruments in Moscow. His first invention was an electromagnet of an original design. However, the workshop could not provide material well-being. Things were going badly.

Pavel Nikolaevich secured an order for the installation of electric lighting for the railway track from a steam locomotive - for the safety of the royal family's journey to Crimea. The work was completed successfully and, in fact, became the world's first project for electric lighting on railways.

Nevertheless, the lack of funds forced Yablochkov to suspend work on the use of arc lamps, and he decided to go to America to the Philadelphia Exhibition, where he was going to present his electromagnet to the public. There were only enough funds to get to Paris. Here the inventor met with the famous mechanical designer Academician Breguet. Yablochkov began working in his workshop, which was engaged in the design of telegraph devices and electrical machines. In parallel, he continued experiments related to the arc lamp project.

His arc lamp, published under the name “electric candle”, or “Yablochkov candle”, completely changed approaches to electric lighting technology. It became possible to widely use electric current, in particular for practical needs.

On March 23, 1876, the engineer's invention was officially registered in France and subsequently in other countries. Yablochkov's candle was easy to manufacture and was an arc lamp without a regulator. In the same year, at the exhibition of physical instruments in London, Yablochkov’s candle became the “highlight of the program.” The whole world believed that this invention of the Russian scientist opened a new era in the development of electrical engineering.

In 1877, Yablochkov came to Russia and invited the Russian War Ministry to accept his invention into operation. He did not meet any interest from military officials and was forced to sell the invention to the French.

Time has shown that electric lighting has defeated gas lighting. At the same time, Yablochkov continued to work on improving electric lighting. New projects appeared, in particular the “kaolin” light bulb, the glow of which came from fire-resistant bodies.

In 1878, Yablochkov returned to his homeland again. This time, different circles of society showed interest in his works. Sources of funding were also found. Pavel Nikolaevich had to re-create workshops and engage in commercial activities. The first installation illuminated the Liteiny Bridge, and in a short time similar installations appeared everywhere in St. Petersburg.

He also put a lot of work into creating the first Russian electrical engineering magazine, Electricity. The Russian Technical Society awarded him its medal. However, external signs of attention were not enough. There was still not enough money for experiments and projects, Yablochkov again left for Paris. There he completed and sold his dynamo project and began preparing for the first world electrical exhibition in Paris in 1881. At this exhibition, Yablochkov’s inventions received the highest award; they were recognized out of competition.

In subsequent years, Pavel Nikolaevich received a number of patents for electrical machines: magneto-electric, magneto-dynamo-electric, electric motor and others. His work in the field of galvanic cells and batteries reflected the depth and progressiveness of the engineer’s ideas.

Everything that Yablochkov did was a revolutionary path for modern technology.

In 1893, he once again returned to Russia. Upon arrival I became very ill. Arriving at his homeland, in Saratov, he settled in a hotel, as his estate fell into disrepair. No material improvements were expected. On March 31, 1894, Pavel Nikolaevich died.

Yablochkov Pavel Nikolaevich is a Russian electrical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. Born in the village. Zhadovka of the Saratov province in the family of a small nobleman. He was educated as a military engineer - he graduated from the Nikolaev Engineering School in 1866 and from the Technical Galvanic Institution in St. Petersburg in 1869. At the end of the latter, Yablochkov entered the Kyiv sapper brigade as a second lieutenant, but soon left military service and accepted the position of head of the telegraph on the Moscow-Kursk railway. Already at the beginning of his service on the railway, P. N. Yablochkov made his first invention: he created a “black-writing telegraph apparatus.” In 1873 Yablochkov opened a workshop of physical instruments: he invented a signal thermometer for regulating the temperature in railway cars; arranged the world's first installation for illuminating a railway track with an electric spotlight mounted on a steam locomotive.

Yablochkov worked in the workshop to improve batteries and dynamos, and conducted experiments on illuminating a large area with a huge spotlight. In the workshop, Yablochkov managed to create an electromagnet of an original design. He used a winding made of copper tape, placing it on edge in relation to the core. This was his first invention, and here Pavel Nikolaevich carried out work on improving arc lamps. One of Yablochkin’s main inventions dates back to 1875 - an electric candle - the first model of an arc lamp without a regulator, which already satisfied a variety of practical requirements. In 1875, Yablochkin went to Paris, where he designed an industrial prototype of an electric lamp (French patent No. 112024, 1876), developed and implemented an electric lighting system using single-phase alternating current, and developed a method of “splitting light through induction coils.” Yablochkov's candle turned out to be simpler, more convenient and cheaper to operate than A. N. Lodygin's coal lamp; it had neither mechanisms nor springs. It consisted of two rods separated by an insulating kaolin gasket. Each of the rods was clamped into a separate terminal of the candlestick. An arc discharge was ignited at the upper ends, and the arc flame shone brightly, gradually burning the coals and vaporizing the insulating material.

Yablochkov designed the first alternating current generator, which, unlike direct current, ensured uniform burnout of carbon rods in the absence of a regulator, was the first to use alternating current for industrial purposes, created an alternating current transformer, an electromagnet with a flat winding, and was the first to use static capacitors in an alternating current circuit . The inventor developed a system for powering a number of electric candles from a single current source, based on the use of capacitors.

In 1879, Yablochkin organized the Electric Lighting Partnership P. N. Yablochkov the Inventor and Co. and an electromechanical plant in St. Petersburg, which manufactured lighting installations on a number of military ships, the Okhtensky plant, etc. From the 2nd half of the 1880s, Yablochkin was involved in mainly on the issues of generating electrical energy: he designed a “magneto-dynamoelectric machine”, which already had the basic features of a modern inductor machine, carried out a lot of original research in the field of practical solution to the problem of directly converting fuel energy into electrical energy, proposed a galvanic cell with an alkaline electrolyte, created a regenerative element ( the so-called car battery), etc. Over time, Yablochkov’s invention was replaced by more economical and convenient incandescent lamps with a thin electric filament inside; his “candle” became just a museum exhibit. However, this was the first light bulb, thanks to which artificial light began to be used everywhere: on streets, squares, theaters, shops, apartments and factories.

Yablochkin was a participant in electrical engineering exhibitions in Russia (1880 and 1882), the Paris Electrical Engineering Exhibitions (1881 and 1889), the First International Congress of Electricians (1881), and one of the initiators of the creation of the electrical engineering department of the Russian Technical Society and the Electricity magazine. Awarded a medal of the Russian Technical Society. In 1947, the Yablochkin Prize was established for the best work in electrical engineering, awarded once every 3 years.

Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov- Russian electrical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He invented (patent 1876) an arc lamp without a regulator - an electric candle (“Yablochkov’s candle”), which laid the foundation for the first practically applicable electric lighting system. He worked on the creation of electrical machines and chemical current sources.

Childhood and primary education of Pavlik Yablochkov

Pavel Yablochkov was born on September 14 (September 2, old style) 1847, in the village of Zhadovka, Serdobsky district, Saratov province, in the family of an impoverished small-scale nobleman who came from an old Russian family. Since childhood, Pavlik loved to design, he came up with a goniometer device for land surveying, a device for measuring the path traveled by a cart. Parents, trying to give their son a good education, in 1859 enrolled him in the 2nd grade of the Saratov gymnasium. But at the end of 1862, Yablochkov left the gymnasium, studied for several months at the Preparatory Boarding School, and in the fall of 1863 entered the Nikolaev Engineering School in St. Petersburg, which had a good education system and produced educated military engineers.

Military service. Further studies

After graduating from college in 1866, Pavel Yablochkov was sent to serve as an officer in the Kiev garrison. In his first year of service, he was forced to resign due to illness. Returning to active service in 1868, he entered the Technical Galvanic Institution in Kronstadt, from which he graduated in 1869. At that time, it was the only school in Russia that trained military specialists in the field of electrical engineering.

Moscow period

In July 1871, having finally left military service, Yablochkov moved to Moscow and accepted the position of assistant to the head of the telegraph service of the Moscow-Kursk Railway. At the Moscow Polytechnic Museum, a circle of electricians-inventors and electrical engineering enthusiasts was created, sharing their experience in this new field at that time. Here, in particular, Yablochkov learned about the experiments of Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin on lighting streets and rooms with electric lamps, after which he decided to improve the then existing arc lamps.

Physical Instruments Workshop

After leaving his telegraph service, P. Yablochkov opened a physical instrument workshop in Moscow in 1874. “It was the center of bold and witty electrical engineering events, sparkling with novelty and 20 years ahead of the times,” recalled one of his contemporaries. In 1875, when P.N. Yablochkov conducted experiments on the electrolysis of table salt using carbon electrodes; he came up with the idea of ​​​​a more advanced design of an arc lamp (without an interelectrode distance regulator) - the future “Yablochkov candle”.

Work in France. Electric candle

At the end of 1875, the financial affairs of the workshop were completely upset and Yablochkov left for Paris, where he went to work in the workshops of academician L. Breguet, a famous French specialist in the field of telegraphy. Working on the problems of electric lighting, Yablochkov by the beginning of 1876 completed the development of the design of an electric candle and in March received a patent for it.

The candle of Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov consisted of two rods separated by an insulating gasket. Each of the rods was clamped into a separate terminal of the candlestick. An arc discharge was ignited at the upper ends, and the arc flame shone brightly, gradually burning the coals and vaporizing the insulating material.

Creation of an electric lighting system

The success of Yablochkov's candle exceeded all expectations. Reports of her appearance circulated around the world press. During 1876, Pavel Nikolaevich developed and implemented an electric lighting system using single-phase alternating current, which, unlike direct current, ensured uniform burning of carbon rods in the absence of a regulator. In addition, Yablochkov developed a method for “splitting” electric light (that is, powering a large number of candles from one current generator), proposing three solutions at once, including the first practical use of a transformer and a capacitor.

Yablochkov's lighting system ("Russian light"), demonstrated at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1878, was an exceptional success; in many countries of the world, including France, companies were founded to exploit it commercially. Having ceded the right to use his inventions to the owners of the French General Electricity Company with Yablochkov's patents, Pavel Nikolaevich, as the head of its technical department, continued to work on further improving the lighting system, being content with a more than modest share of the company's huge profits.

Return to Russia. commercial activity

In 1878, Pavel Yablochkov decided to return to Russia to tackle the problem of the spread of electric lighting. At home, he was enthusiastically greeted as an innovative inventor.

In 1879, Pavel Nikolaevich organized the Electric Lighting Partnership P. N. Yablochkov the Inventor and Co. and an electrical plant in St. Petersburg, which manufactured lighting installations on a number of military ships, the Okhtensky plant, etc. And although the commercial activity was successful, it did not bring the inventor full satisfaction. He clearly saw that in Russia there were too few opportunities for the implementation of new technical ideas, in particular, for the production of the electric machines he built. In addition, by 1879, electrical engineer, inventor, founder of large electrical enterprises and companies in America, Thomas Edison, brought the incandescent lamp to practical perfection, which completely replaced arc lamps.

Back in France

Having moved to Paris in 1880, Yablochkov began to prepare to participate in the first World Electrotechnical Exhibition, which was to be held in 1881 in Paris. At this exhibition, Yablochkov's inventions were highly appreciated and were recognized by the International Jury as out of competition, but the exhibition itself was a triumph of the incandescent lamp. From that time on, Yablochkov was mainly concerned with the generation of electrical energy - the creation of dynamos and galvanic cells.

The last period of the inventor's life

At the end of 1893, feeling sick, Pavel Yablochkov returned to Russia after 13 years of absence, but a few months later, on March 31 (March 19, Old Style), 1894, he died of a heart disease in Saratov. She was buried in the family crypt in the village of Sapozhok, Saratov region.

Inventors

Place of Birth: Serdobsky district of Saratov province

Family status: married twice. The first wife is Lyubov Ilyinichna Nikitina. Second wife - Maria Nikolaevna Albova

Activities and interests: electrical engineering, invention, entrepreneurship

As a child, Yablochkov invented a goniometer for land surveying, which the peasants of the surrounding villages used during land redistribution. He also invented a device for measuring the distance traveled by a cart. More facts

Education, degrees and titles

1858-1862, Saratov, 1st men's gymnasium, Saratov, st. Gymnazicheskaya (now Nekrasova St.), 17: unfinished course

1869, Technical Galvanic Institution, Kronstadt. Faculty: Physics: Head of the Galvanic Team

Job

1872-1874, Moscow-Kursk Railway: head of the telegraph service

1874-1875, Physical Instruments Workshop, Moscow

Discoveries

Before Yablochkov, only one way of connecting light sources to a circuit was known, but it was inconvenient and almost never used. Each light source was powered by a separate dynamo, which was expensive. Yablochkov came up with a switching circuit reminiscent of modern parallel switching of lamps: it was possible to connect 4-5 lamps in one circuit.

In the early spring of 1876, Yablochkov completed the design of an electric candle and on March 23 received French patent No. 112024 for it.

In March 1876 - October 1877, the first alternating current generator was designed and a flat-winding electromagnet was invented.

Biography

P.N. Yablochkov is a Russian inventor of electrical engineering, military engineer and entrepreneur. His main invention - an arc lamp without a regulator (electric candle or "Yablochkov candle") - in 1876 laid the foundation for the first practically applicable electric lighting system.

Yablochkov was the first in the world to create a system for powering a large number of candles from one current generator, based on the use of alternating current, transformers and capacitors. Not a single invention in the field of electrical engineering has received such rapid and widespread distribution as the “Yablochkov candles”.

On April 14, 1879, Yablochkov was awarded a personal medal of the Imperial Russian Technical Society, and in 1947 the Yablochkov Prize was established for the best work in electrical engineering, which is awarded once every three years.

Yablochkov Pavel Nikolaevich (1847-1894) - Russian inventor, military engineer and entrepreneur. He is best known for his creation of the arc lamp, signal thermometer and other inventions in the field of electrical engineering.

Pavel Yablochkov was born on September 2 (14), 1847 in the village of Zhadovka, Serdobsky district, Saratov province. His father Nikolai Pavlovich was a representative of an old dynasty, but by the time his son was born he became impoverished. In his youth he distinguished himself in the naval service, but was dismissed due to illness. He subsequently began working as a peace mediator and justice of the peace. The inventor's mother, Elizaveta Petrovna, took care of the housework and, possessing an imperious character, held her entire large family in her hands (after Pavel, she gave birth to four more children).

The boy's parents provided him with primary education right at home, where he was taught the basics of literacy, writing and arithmetic, as well as the French language. But Pavel’s real passion was the design of various devices. As a teenager, he created a device that helped redistribute land, as well as a distant analogue of the modern speedometer. The device was installed on the carriage wheel and counted the distance traveled.

Years of study

At the insistence of his parents, in 1859, Pavel, thanks to successfully passing the tests, immediately entered the second grade of the Saratov gymnasium. But due to financial problems, three years later the father was forced to take his son. According to another version, the reason for the interruption of studies was the unbearable conditions in the gymnasium, where corporal punishment was used. Yablochkov spent some time in his parents' house, and then passed the exams and entered the Nikolaev Engineering School, located in the capital. It was a leading educational institution of its time, where eminent scientists taught. While preparing for admission, Pavel attended preparatory courses, where he was greatly influenced by the military engineer Caesar Antonovich Cui.

Caesar Antonovich Cui - teacher at the Nikolaev Engineering Academy

Pavel Nikolaevich's mentors were famous professors Fyodor Fedorovich Lasovsky, German Egorovich Pauker, Ivan Alekseevich Vyshegradsky. They gave him an excellent knowledge base in electricity, magnetism, mathematics, fortification, artillery, drawing, military tactics and many other disciplines. The military methods of education at the school had a positive influence on the inventor - he acquired military bearing and became physically stronger.

Military service

In 1866, Yablochkov graduated from college, received the rank of lieutenant engineer and was assigned to the fifth engineer battalion located in Kyiv. The service did not arouse much enthusiasm in Pavel - he was full of creative ideas that were not possible to bring to life in barracks conditions. In 1867, the scientist submitted his resignation due to illness. This allowed him to completely immerse himself in the world of electrical engineering and the result was not long in coming.

The inventor developed a self-excited generator, which marked the beginning of many studies in electrical engineering. However, there was no solid knowledge of electromagnetism and this limited his capabilities. In 1869, he was restored to service with the rank of second lieutenant, which gave him the right to enter the St. Petersburg Galvanic classes, where they trained to become military electrical engineers.

His stay at this educational institution was beneficial and Yablochkov became seriously acquainted with the most modern achievements in the field of electricity. For eight months, Pavel Nikolaevich attended a course of lectures, which was combined with active practice. The training was led by Professor Fyodor Fomich Petrushevsky. At the end, each course participant completed an internship in Kronstadt, where they actively worked with galvanic mines.

According to the current rules, graduates of the Galvanic classes were required to serve for three years, and Yablochkov was sent to the fifth engineer battalion, which he knew, as the head of the galvanic service. Having served his entire required term, the inventor retires from military service forever and moves to Moscow.

New life

In Zlatoglava, Pavel Nikolaevich got a job as head of the telegraph of the Moscow-Kursk Railway. One of the arguments that persuaded him to take the job was a good repair base. He actively continued his studies, absorbing the valuable experience of local electricians. An important role in the development of the inventor’s personality was played by his acquaintance with an electrical engineer who had enormous talent as an inventor. In this way, the individual image of a scientist was gradually formed, who did not give up trying to create something new.

During this time, he restored the faulty Trouvé electric motor (the name comes from the name of the French inventor Gustav Pierre Trouvé), developed a project to optimize the Gram machine, and also created a burner for detonating gas and a device for recording temperature changes in passenger cars. But it was not possible to create consistently, since the main work took a lot of time.

Nevertheless, Yablochkov managed to delve deeply into the principle of operation of arc lamps; he conducted many experiments aimed at improving them. In 1873, the scientist began work in a physical instrument workshop and a year later became the first in the world to create an electric floodlight design for railway tracks on a locomotive. In 1875, the scientist left for the USA for the World Exhibition in Philadelphia, where he wanted to present his inventions. But financial affairs did not go well and Pavel Nikolaevich came to Paris instead of the United States.

Paris stage

In the French capital, he gets a job in the workshops of academician Louis Breguet, whose telegraph apparatus he was well acquainted with from his work in Moscow. In addition, he owned a large enterprise that produced various electrical appliances. The Russian inventor showed Breguet his electromagnet and the Frenchman immediately appreciated his talent.

Pavel Nikolaevich immediately began working at the plant, while simultaneously conducting experiments in his small room on the university campus. He soon completed work on several inventions and managed to patent them.

In March 1876, Yablochkov received a patent for his most famous invention - the famous electric candle (an arc lamp without a regulator). A scientist from Russia managed to create a light source that met the needs of the mass consumer. It was an economical, simple and easy-to-use device that made lighting accessible to everyone. Compared to a carbon lamp, Yablochkov's device contained carbon rods (electrodes) separated by a kaolin spacer.

Yablochkov candle

Yablochkov’s candle is described in detail in the video of the “Chip and Dip” channel.

Alexander Pushnoy demonstrates the principle of operation of the Yablochkov candle in the Galileo program.

The success was stunning and people started talking seriously about the inventor who gave the world the “Russian light”. Soon Pavel Nikolaevich went as a representative of the Breguet company to an exhibition of physical instruments in London. Here serious success awaited him, because the Russian scientific community learned about the fate of the electric candle. Upon his return to Paris, numerous businessmen were waiting for the scientist, who quickly realized what opportunities for profit the creations of the Russian scientist offered.

Under the patronage of L. Breguet, the French inventor Auguste Deneyrouz, who organized a joint-stock company, began promoting the arc lamp. The enterprise was engaged in the study of electric lighting, and Yablochkov was entrusted with providing scientific and technical leadership. His competence included monitoring production and working to improve the device. The company with an authorized capital of 7 million francs virtually monopolized the production of “Russian light” on a global scale.

The next two years turned out to be very fruitful. Yablochkov was involved in installing lighting for streets and public buildings in Paris and London. In particular, thanks to him, the bridge across the Thames, the Chatelet Theater, the London Theater and other objects were illuminated. From here, from Western Europe, electricity began to spread throughout the world. And it is no coincidence, since the Russian electrical engineer managed to optimize the candle so that it could be used in large lighting fixtures. “Russian Light” illuminated American San Francisco, Indian Madras and the palace of the King of Cambodia.

Yablochkov candles installed on Victoria Embankment (1878)

At the same time, he created a kaolin lamp and developed a transformer for dividing electric current. The Paris exhibition of 1878 became a true triumph for Yablochkov - his pavilion was always full of visitors, who were shown many educational experiments.

Return to Russia

Dreams of his homeland did not leave the scientist throughout his stay in a foreign land. Here he received worldwide recognition, restored his commercial reputation, and paid off his accumulated debts. Before his trip to Russia, Pavel Nikolaevich bought a license for the right to use electric lighting in Russia. The company's management demanded the entire block of shares worth 1 million francs - the inventor agreed and received complete carte blanche.

Scientific circles in Russia warmly welcomed the return of the scientist, which cannot be said about the tsarist government, which reprimanded the inventor for supporting political emigrants abroad. But the most unpleasant thing was something else - domestic entrepreneurs were practically not interested in the electric candle. I had to organize the matter myself.

In 1879, a partnership was organized to create electric machines and electric lighting systems. Together with Yablochkov, such luminaries in the field of electrical engineering as Lodygin and Chikolev were involved in the work. From a commercial point of view, it was a completely successful project, but it did not bring any moral satisfaction. Intellectually, Pavel Nikolaevich understood how few opportunities there were in Russia to implement existing plans. In addition, in 1879, not the most joyful news came from overseas - he improved the incandescent lamp and found mass application for it. This was the final reason for moving to Paris.

New Paris stage

In 1880, Yablochkov returned to the French capital, where he immediately began preparing for participation in the World Electrotechnical Exhibition. Here his inventions were again praised, but were overshadowed by Edison's incandescent lamp. This made it clear that the triumph of the arc lamp was already behind us and the prospects for the development of this technology were very vague. Pavel Nikolaevich reacted calmly to this turn of events and refused to further develop light sources. Now he was interested in electrochemical current generators.

The inventor will be torn between France and Russia for 12 years. It was a difficult time, because he did not feel like he belonged in any country. The domestic ruling and financial elite perceived him as waste material, and abroad he became a stranger, because the block of shares no longer belonged to the scientist. Yablochkov continued to work on electric motors and generators and studied issues of alternating current transmission. But all developments were carried out in a tiny apartment, where there were no conditions for scientific research. During one of the experiments, exploding gases almost killed a scientist. In the 90s, he patented several more inventions, but none of them allowed him to make a decent profit.

The inventor's health left much to be desired. In addition to heart problems, there was also a lung disease, the mucous membrane of which was damaged by chlorine during the experiment. Yablochkov was plagued by chronic poverty, but the electrical engineering company got seriously rich from his inventions. The inventor himself noted more than once that he never aspired to become rich, but always counted on fully equipping his scientific laboratory.

In 1889, Pavel Nikolaevich plunged headlong into preparations for the next International Exhibition, where he headed the Russian department. He helped engineers from Russia who arrived in Paris and accompanied them at all events. The inventor's weakened health could not withstand such stress and he was partially paralyzed.

The return home took place at the very end of 1892. St. Petersburg greeted Yablochkov unfriendly and coldly; only close friends and family were next to him. Many of those to whom he gave the way to life turned away; there was nothing special to live on. Together with his wife and son, the scientist decided to return to his small homeland, where he died on March 19 (31), 1894.

Personal life

The inventor met his first wife, school teacher Lyubov Nikitina, in Kyiv. They married in 1871, but their family life was relatively short-lived, as the wife died at the age of 38 from tuberculosis. The marriage left four children, three of whom died at an early age. The second wife, Maria Albova, gave birth to Pavel Nikolaevich’s son Plato, who later became an engineer.

• The first test of Pavel Nikolaevich's lighting system was carried out in the barracks of the Kronstadt training crew on October 11, 1878.
• Each Yablochkov candle produced at the Breguet enterprise burned for only 1.5 hours and cost 20 kopecks.
• In 1876, Pavel Nikolaevich was elected a member of the French Physical Society.
• In Russia, the greatest interest in the arc lamp was shown in the navy, where over 500 lamps were installed.
• In 2012, a technology park appeared in Penza, named after the great inventor, who specializes in materials science and information technology.

Yablochkov Technopark, Penza

Video

Film “Great Inventors. Russian light of Yablochkov." GreenGa LLC, commissioned by First TVCh CJSC, 2014.