Kursk in Faces: Outstanding Figures Who Made the City Famous

Slide 1

Good day, esteemed listeners! I present to your attention a project work completed within the framework of the nomination "The Heritage of Outstanding People in the History of Kursk." The topic of our work is "Kursk in Faces: Outstanding Figures Who Made the City Famous." The author of the work is 10th-grade student Victoria Boeva, and the supervisor is Yana Alexandrovna Novichkova

Slide 2

Introduction

Today we will talk about outstanding Kursk natives – Fyodor Semyonov and Anatoly Ufimtsev. They made a huge contribution to science and technology, and streets in our city are named after them.

Relevance:

It's important to remember such people in order to be proud of the history of Kursk and inspire future generations. Their lives show us the development of science and technology in Russia, and the street names remind us of their legacy.

Slide 3

Ufimtseva Street in Kursk is located from Lenin Street to Volodarsky Street.

The street was laid out according to the general plan of the city in 1782 and was originally called Pervyshevskaya — in honor of the merchant and philanthropist Karp Pervyshev, at whose expense the Sergiev-Kazan Cathedral was erected.

In 1935, the street was renamed in honor of Pushkin, but the name did not stick, and the signs on the houses were not replaced.

On December 1, 1950, the street was finally named after the inventor Anatoly Ufimtsev.

There are several houses of pre-revolutionary construction on Ufimtsev Street, for example, the house of the heirs of the merchant N. G. Samoilov (Ufimtseva, 2), the Pervyshev house (Ufimtseva, 14) and the house of the provincial secretary V. I. Egorov (Ufimtseva, 16).

Slide 4

Anatoly Georgievich Ufimtsev (1880–1936) was a self-taught Russian inventor who showed an aptitude for invention from childhood. In his youth, he created a dynamo machine, a printing machine, and proposed methods for color printing.

Without finishing his formal education, Ufimtsev worked and continued to invent. In 1898, he was exiled to Akmolinsk, where he continued to work on projects, receiving support from M. Gorky.

Slide 5

Anatoly Georgievich Ufimtsev (1880–1936) was a gifted inventor with 68 patents. He created an electric pen and self-recording machine (attempting to use them for revolutionary purposes), and designed unique kerosene and naphtha lanterns that lit Russian cities. He also built internal combustion engines for threshing machines, one of which lasted until WWII. Ufimtsev's "Spheroplan," a round-winged airplane, failed to fly despite two models. In 1918, he invented an inertial accumulator (flywheel) for wind power. In 1929, he built the first wind generator in Russia (Kursk), featuring a 300kg flywheel for stable operation. Ufimtsev also proposed aircraft engines with concentric shafts and coaxial counter-rotating propellers.

Slide 6

Semenovskaya Street is located in the Central District of Kursk, was laid out according to the master plan of 1782 and was originally called Knyazhaya-Beregovaya. Since the beginning of the 19th century, it has been the Lower (Second) Infirmary, and on April 29, 1894, it received its modern name in honor of astronomer Semenov.

The length of the street is about 1.5 km. It connects Gogol Street with Marat Street, parallel to Semenovskaya Street on one side is Dimitrov Street, and on the other is Kotova Gora.

At the corner of Semyonovskaya and Sadovaya streets there is city hospital No. 1, the building of which is an architectural monument of Kursk. Also on this street stands an Orthodox church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy to All who Grieve."

There are two houses on Semenovskaya Street with commemorative plaques in honor of famous countrymen: house No. 14, where astronomer A. F. Semenov lived, and house No. 13, where inventor-mechanic A. G. Ufimtsev lived..

Slide 7

On this street, the provincial zemstvo council opened the newly built "surgical pavilion", a large red brick building where the regional ophthalmological hospital now operates.

Slide 8

Fyodor Alekseevich Semyonov (1794–1860), a self-taught astronomer, meteorologist, and mechanic from Kursk, was a notable scientist. He independently studied sciences and, inspired by an 1807 comet, proposed artificial Earth satellites in 1819.

Semyonov initiated meteorological observations in Kursk, later supported by the Academy of Sciences. He excelled in mechanics, physics, and chemistry, conducting laboratory research.

In 1832, he discovered meteor radiation, linking it to comets, and published a study on eclipses. He predicted the 1892 Kursk solar eclipse and created a 160-year eclipse forecast. His eclipse theory earned a gold medal.

Semyonov authored ~50 scientific articles, was an observatory correspondent, and received recognition for horticulture. He died in 1860. The street and  the museum are named after him in Kursk.

Slide 9

He independently built a refractor telescope with a focal length of 180 cm. He systematically conducted observations of various celestial objects, but he was particularly interested in solar and lunar eclipses. In 1856, his work "Tables of Time Indications of Lunar and Solar Eclipses from 1840 to 2001 on the Moscow Meridian in the Old Style" was published. It contained elements calculated by him for 243 lunar and 172 solar eclipses visible in the Northern Hemisphere. For this work, Semyonov was awarded the Gold Medal of the Russian Geographical Society.

Slide 10

Now the House Museum of Anatoly Ufimtsev and Fyodor Semenov is located on Semenovskaya Street. I consider it is very important to remember and honor the deeds of the outstanding people of my city. Thank you for your attention!