Famous scientists 'Thomas Alva Edison'
Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Ohio. He began to work when he was twelve years old. His first job was a newspaper boy on a train. He soon began to produce his own newspaper. It was about the size of a handkerchief. He gathered news, printed and sold the newspapers all by himself. He had a small laboratory in the baggage car of this train. There he carried out experiments. Edison kept records of all his experiments. Then Edison got lessons in telegraphy and the next five years he worked as a telegraphist in various cities of the US and Canada. In 1877 Edison invented a phonograph. This talking machine both recorded and played back. It resembled the present day tape recorder more than a record player. Then Edison became interested in the electric-light bulb for lightning streets and buildings. It had taken Edison and his assistants thirteen months to produce the incandescent lamp, but he already knew, that success awaited it. Edison carried out experiments from morning till night. All his inventions were the results of his endless work. He sometimes made thousands of experiments. For months he slept no more than one or two hours a day. Yet he had time to read not only scientific books. He was fond of Shakespeare and Tom Pain. He had over 10000 volumes in his library. Edison continued to work all through his long life. He attributed his success not so much to genius as to hard work. Edison's inventions include the phonograph, or gramophone, the megaphone, the cinematograph, the improved lamp of incandescent light, many greatly improved systems of telegraphic transmission and numerous other things.
Maria Curie
Maria Curie was born in Warsaw on the 7th of November, 1867. Maria wanted to study at the Sorbonne in Paris, and after many years of waiting she finally left her native land for Paris in 1891.In Paris Maria began a course of hard study and simple living. She determined to work for two Master's degrees — one in physics, the other in mathematics. So she had to work twice as hard as any other student.
Among the many scientists Maria met and worked with in Paris was one — Pierre Curie. Pierre Curie, born in 1859 in Paris, was the son of a doctor, and from his childhood he was interested in science. Pierre Curie and Maria Sklodovska loved science more than anything else. They always worked together and discussed the many problems of their work. After a little more than a year they fell in love with each other, and in 1895 Maria Sklodovska became Madame Curie.
By this time Maria Curie had got her Master's degree in physics and mathematics, and was busy with research on steel. She now wanted to get a Doctor's degree.
For some time Pierre and Maria Curie were interested in the work of a French scientist named Becquerel. There is a met a called uranium which, as Becquerel discovered, emits rays like X-rays.The research was carried out under great difficulty. Madame Curie had to use an old store-room at the University as her laboratory — she was refused a better room. Here it was cold, there was no proper apparatus and the room was too small for research work. Soon she discovered that the mysterious rays of uranium were much more peculiar than she believed. They were like no other known rays. After repeating her experiments time after time she found that a mineral called pitchblende emitted much more powerful rays than any she had found.
As Maria Curie had examined every known chemical element and none of them had emitted such powerful rays as pitchblende, she could only decide that this mineral must contain some new element Scientists call the property of giving out such rays 'radio-activity', and Madame Curie decided to call the new element 'radium', because it was more strongly radio-active than any known metal.
Madame Curie-Sklodovska died in 1934. She was the leading woman scientist, the greatest woman of her time and was the first person who received the Nobel Prize twice.
London
London was founded in the first century by the Romans. They left London in the 5-th century. By the 8-th century London was again a busy trading centre. In the 11-th century it became the capital of England. Edward the Confessor built a palace and an abbey at Westminster. The Norman period saw the construction of the Tower.
Today Greater London consists of 33 boroughs, including the City, the West End and the East End. The City is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange. All the historical places and famous parks are in the West End. It hosts museums and galleries, among them are the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery, and the British Museum. In the West End there are Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace.
There are a lot of places of interest in London. Among them are: Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge, the Tower of London.
WESTMINSTER, now the political centre of London, was until the 11-th century a sacred place. King Edward the Confessor decided to build a great abbey church here. It was consecrated in 1065, but a week later the King died and was buried in the abbey. William the Conqueror was crowned in the Abbey and since then all Coronations have taken place here. The Abbey contains many royal tombs, memorials to eminent men and women. But the most popular ones are those to writers, actors and musicians in Poets' Corner.
BUCKINGHAM PALACE is the Queen's official London residence. Built in 1705 for the Duke of Buckingham; in 1761 it was sold to George III. The Palace was little used by the royalty until Victoria's accession to the throne in 1837. London's most popular spectacle is Changing the Guard: it lasts about 30 minutes.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital of Russia. It was founded in 1147 by the Prince of Suzdal, Jury Dolgoruky. The history of Moscow is connected with the history of Russia. By the 15-th century Moscow turned into a wealthy city. In 1812 the Napoleonic army entered Moscow. The city was set ablaze. The army had to retreat. Nowadays Moscow is the largest city of Russia. It is a political, administrative, economic, industrial, scientific, educational and cultural centre of the country. The Russian Academy of sciences, the oldest university, many schools of higher learning, colleges and scientific institutions are located in Moscow.
There are many places of interest in Moscow. The Kremlin - the oldest historical and architectural centre - is the heart of Moscow. At first it was a wooden fort. Under Dmitry Donskoy the Kremlin was built of white stone. During the reign of Ivan III the walls of white stone were replaced by redbrick walls and towers. The city is famous for its historical monuments, museums, art galleries and theatres. The Historical Museum, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Tretyakov State Picture Gallery are world famous. Moscow is proud of the Bolshoy, Maly and Art theatres. Ivan the Great Bell Tower is one of the most remarkable structures of the 16-th century. It rises in the centre of the Kremlin. On the stone pedestal at the foot of the Bell Tower stands the Tsar-Bell - the largest bell in the world. Not far from it one can see the Tsar-Cannon.