Russia
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Mikhail Lomonosov
Mishaninskaya (Denisovka, Arkhangelsk), Russia
Archival Overview
Universal Russian polymath who founded Moscow State University, discovered the atmosphere of Venus during its 1761 transit, and formulated the conservation of mass and energy before Lavoisier.
Biographical Record
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (1711–1765), son of a peasant fisherman on the White Sea, walked a thousand miles on foot behind a fish caravan to Moscow at age nineteen to pursue education. Studying in Marburg under Christian Wolff, he returned to the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences as Russia's premier scientist.
In 1748, Lomonosov formulated the mechanical conservation of matter and motion seventeen years before Lavoisier. Observing the transit of Venus across the Sun in 1761, he noted a luminous refraction halo around the planet's disk, concluding that Venus possesses an atmosphere comparable to Earth's. In 1755, he co-founded Moscow State University, which bears his name today.
Key Life Milestones
Founding of Moscow State University
Co-founded Russia's first university in Moscow with Count Ivan Shuvalov to educate students of all social classes.
Discovery of the Atmosphere of Venus
Discovered Venus's dense atmosphere during its transit across the Sun from his private observatory in St Petersburg.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialSaint Petersburg, Russia