Outstanding people of Russia. Historical Personality of Russia

Russia has never lacked really talented individuals who, even without being on the throne, had a huge impact on the development of the state. Among them - scientists and writers, talented designers and great travelers, brave pioneers and conquerors of Siberia, military geniuses ... And, of course, the highest sovereigns. But all of them were united by one thing: love for the country where they lived, made their great discoveries and outstanding feats.

Who do you remember when you see the phrase "great people of Russia"? The list is often the same for all:

• Among the generals remember Zhukov, Kutuzov and Suvorov.
• If we talk about scientists, they call Lomonosov, Mendeleev, Pavlov.
• Among the writers are out of competition Pushkin, Lermontov and Chekhov.

Of course, all the outstanding people in Russia, even if they simply list them by name, simply do not "fit" within the framework of this article, and therefore we will focus only on some of them. In addition, "between the lines" this material mentions many other personalities that every educated person should know.

Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov

Who does not know this outstanding person, thanks to which the domestic science at one time made a real leap to the new horizons ?! Unfortunately, not everyone remembers, in what conditions had to work and learn the future luminary. However, many great people in the history of Russia were not adepts of luxury: the brilliant military commander Suvorov generally preferred to sleep on boards and eat only simple soldier's food.

Mishenka was born in the family of Vasily Dorofeevich and Elena Ivanovna, on November 8 (19), 1711. Contrary to many historical textbooks, the family was not at all poor. As Mikhail later recalled, he almost did not remember his mother, since she died early, and spoke of her father as "a man kind and beautiful in all respects, but brought up in complete ignorance." However, this characteristic was suitable for many people of that era.

He lived a little happily and happily, but his father married for the third time. Irina Semyonovna Korelskaya became the chosen one. The boy immediately seemed to the boy "an evil, envious and greedy stepmother." Strangely enough, it was she who played a decisive role in his life. "Angering and shining" from his passion for books, my stepmother decided to try out a proven method, marrying a restless youngster. Lomonosov, as soon as he heard about this intention, immediately fled to Moscow.

St. Petersburg

In 1731, a future scientist arrives in the former capital of the Empire, where a new life begins with a criminal episode: in order to be enrolled in a coveted university, the boy has to personally forge documents, posing as a nobleman's son. Even today, such an act threatens major trouble, and even then it was fraught with a death sentence, so that young Mikhail was remarkable for his courage and striving for knowledge!

However, almost all the outstanding people of Russia have never been excessively shy. Thus, the aircraft designer Mikoyan was perhaps the only one who could argue on an equal footing with Stalin.

Study abroad

For four years Mikhail Vasilievich's ordeals lasted in local schools, but in 1735 he was sent to St. Petersburg, to one of the institutes under the wing of the All-Russian Academy of Sciences. There he immediately showed himself as an outstanding practical physicist, distinguished by his "unbridled passion for risky experiments." Seeing his talents, the leadership just a year later sends a young and promising scientist to study abroad, to Freiburg. Unfortunately, almost all the well-known personalities of Russia at that time were forced to receive education abroad, since before Peter in our country there were too few really good teachers.

As in Russia, the students had a very hard time: they constantly did not have the money even for normal food, not to mention textbooks, paper and clothes. I had to get out, doing black work. Lack of sleep and malnutrition, coupled with an exorbitant mental load, greatly undermined the health of all trainees.

Return to Russia

In 1740 the scientist returned to Russia. There were two reasons: the reluctance of the institution to somehow contain its students and constant disagreements with German teachers. At home, he was initially met well, and already in 1745 Mikhail Lomonosov became a professor of chemistry. In just 34 years, which for those times was just incredible! Like all the great people of Russia, he was not at all proud, continuing to work without a break, not forgetting to allocate time for each of his students.

He was famous for constantly entering into severe polemical fights and debates with GF Miller and other "Germans", reproaching them with "deliberate humiliation of the Russian people, unwillingness to recognize its historical achievements." No wonder that many of his opponents became the worst enemies of the young professor. However, the latter was not embarrassed: Mikhail constantly engaged in science, giving a special tribute to chemistry. Although it is easier to name that area of knowledge, in which he would not have noted several works at once! Lomonosov desperately defended not only his charges, but also other scientists, among whom were the future outstanding people of Russia.

Despite the German origin of G. V. Rikhman, who died tragically during the experiment with electricity, only he takes care of a worthy award to his family and cruelly, to hoarseness, argues with bureaucrats who do not want to recognize the contribution of the deceased to the development of science.

Friends and Foes

During all the years of his stay in St. Petersburg, Lomonosov had a huge number of friends, and even more enemies who desperately envied the good attitude of the imperial court towards him. When in 1765 he died of cruel pneumonia, the popular poet Sumarokov at that time spoke about this sad event: "The fool has calmed down and there will be no more noise!" Fortunately, Lomonosov's merits were so great, and so many sincere devotees Friends and disciples, that the malicious envious persons did not have to bathe in the rays of glory.

Unfortunately, many historical figures of Russia did not escape the same fate. The great Pushkin, "our everything," was subjected to cruel persecutions in aristocratic circles. The poet was not loved for his straightforwardness and his reluctance to become like the courtiers. And what were the outstanding people of Russia in the 19th century? The period when the fate of the world was decided for many years to come?

Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky

Even in the West, where they generally do not like to recognize the merits of our compatriots, Tsiolkovsky is really honored. It is all the more strange that many well-known personalities of Russia, both in that period and in our time, do not know him at all. For a long time it was believed that Konstantin Eduardovich was just an extremely extravagant scientist with "very strange and unscientific ideas."

He was born in 1857. As a child, he was an extremely active and restless child, which later played a bad joke with him: he rolled around almost all day on a sled, tired and hot, he was very cold. The disease almost killed him. After recovery, it turned out that Kostya somehow hears only a loud voice.

Consequences, the beginning of training

Deafness, however, has led to the fact that a boy, deprived of the usual amusements of his peers, begins to show an unusual interest in craftsmanship, the manufacture of all sorts of strange and funny crafts. His unquenchable thirst for knowledge awakens.

Almost all great people of Russia had exactly the same trait of character: at one time the most ingenious gunsmith Fedorov read hundreds of books on mechanics and artillery, conducted thousands of experiments and built an incredible number of mechanisms to confirm his theories.

In 1869, Kostya entered the gymnasium. He himself recalled that "study was given with great difficulty, since I practically did not hear the teachers, but only felt an unclear talk." In 1870, his elder brother died, and almost immediately the mother goes to the grave, unable to withstand this terrible news. Constantine becomes very difficult.

Moscow

The father, seeing the remarkable abilities of his son, decides to send him to Moscow (1873), for admission to the Higher Technical School. Of course, because of the deafness nothing happened. But the future of cosmonautics decides to stay in Moscow, doing self-education. Father sent his son 10-15 rubles a month. They were very decent money for those times, but Kostya ate only black bread and liquid tea.

The clue is simple: in a month only 90 cents went to food, and everything else went to buy books, tools and other things necessary for experiments. In just three years, from 1973 to 1876, the indefatigable Tsiolkovsky manages to master almost two gymnasium programs completely independently, spending days in libraries at Moscow institutes. In 1876, his father reported that his health had worsened, and he called his son back to Kaluga.

Pedagogical activity

Home Constantine returns not only half deaf, but also seriously deteriorated eyesight. Fortunately, his father had extensive and good connections, so that a young man is easily taken to a teaching position in a local gymnasium. There he showed himself so well that the students fell in droves to him.

In 1878 the family moved to Ryazan. There, in order to continue his teaching activities, Tsiolkovsky had to pass a full examination. Despite the fact that he was never interested in theology and other sciences that he needed, he managed to learn all that was necessary and to pass the tests with brilliance. Actually, an incredible craving for knowledge was different for all historical figures in our country. So, the great emperor Peter the Great, who received an extremely bad education, could literally in a few hours learn dozens of complex mathematical formulas to immediately use them in the most complicated calculations in the construction of ships.

Scientific activity

In just three years he will write his scientific work "Theory of gases" (the manuscript has not reached our time). The isolation of the scientist from the scientific community played him a bad joke: when he sent the text of his work to Mendeleev, he replied that all the conclusions set forth in the text are absolutely correct ... only his research has no value, since all this has already been discovered 25 years ago.

However, the failure of the "father of Russian cosmonautics" did not embarrass, though annoyed. Like many historical figures of Russia, he had a very strong character. In this he was very similar to the man who used his works later: Yuri Gagarin was one of the many applicants for the first flight into space, but because of the perseverance and perseverance of Jura, his whole name knows the whole world.

Transition to aeronautics

In 1885, when he was only about 28 years old, Tsiolkovsky already had several excellent works in the field of aeronautics. The subject matter was very interesting to him, and therefore since then he decides to engage exclusively in research in this field.

Until 1917, the scientist almost every year sent drafts of his manuscripts to various scientific institutions of the country, tried to interest his developments of industrialists. Everything was useless, nobody listens to him. In the midst of the townspeople, Tsiolkovsky is seen as a dangerous crank, and only the repeated intercession of a high-ranking father-in-law rescues him from dismissal and persecution.

In general, many outstanding people of Russia, and other states, during their lifetime did not hear anything good from contemporaries, and many of them in general died in poverty and obscurity.

Recognition of merit

After the Revolution, the life of the scientist became much easier. Already in 1918, he was finally deservedly elected Honorary Member of the Academy of Sciences, begin to pay a decent cash benefit. However, not everything is so cloudless: in 1919 five people in civilian clothes declared at once to the house of a scientist, after which Tsiolkovsky was interrogated for five days in the cellars of the Lubyanka.

Evidence of eyewitnesses has been preserved, that all this was again a consequence of denunciation, but a miracle happens: someone from the higher circles of the new Soviet power, the scientist's works seemed important, and therefore he is immediately released without any charges. In 1935, when at an advanced age, Tsiolkovsky wrote a letter to Stalin himself, in which he expressed a timid hope that his studies would be appreciated even by the Soviet authorities, since in all past years "he was tired of beating his head in ignorance of his colleagues." Strangely enough, but Joseph Vissarionovich still singles out this letter from a lot of correspondence, sending a scientist an answer.

In it, he thanked Konstantin Eduardovich for his significant contribution to the development of scientific knowledge, punishing him to continue his studies. Unfortunately, soon after this the scientist dies of stomach cancer. After his death, many of the outstanding man's works were completely revised: experts in the aviation and later rocket industries found that decades ago, before the intensive research in these areas, the old eccentric from Kaluga had already advanced on this issue.

Tsiolkovsky's theory of the development of the Far space, the construction of ships in Earth's orbit, the need for the establishment of long-term settlements on the Moon and Mars ... All this is still confirmed today in the works of modern scientists. Remembering the names of the great people of Russia, never forget Konstantin Eduardovich!

Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky

While enumerating the outstanding figures of Russia, one should not forget about military commanders, whose activities have repeatedly saved the country from conquest. So was Constantine Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. The future strategist was born in 1896, back in the times of the Russian Empire. His biographers say that in fact he was born in 1894. But for some reason he slightly reduced his age when entering the service in the Soviet Army. From an early age showed the ability and desire for military service.

During the First World War, joined the army on a volunteer basis. Already in 1915 he was introduced to St. George's Cross of the third degree, but he did not receive a deserved award due to bureaucratic confusion. In principle, given the attitude of the Soviets to such orders, it was not so bad.

In 1917, he managed to become a non-commissioned officer, but only a year later his regiment was completely disbanded, and Rokossovsky had to continue his service as an ordinary Red Army man. However, for his services, Konstantin Konstantinovich is quickly transferred to squadron commanders. During the Civil War, in 1919, one of the deputies of Kolchak was killed in a desperate saber battle.

A year later he became commander of a cavalry regiment. He took part in almost all the major battles of that period, read out Tukhachevsky's works, of which he drew a lot of useful information. All this, as well as his friendship with some repressed later commanders, as well as the service of a non-commissioned officer in the Tsarist Army, led to the fact that in 1937 he was arrested. Actually, through this "trouble" passed many historical figures of that period: the same Korolyov, the father of Soviet cosmonautics, spent much of his life behind bars.

Imprisonment

Until 1940 he was in prison. The absurdity of his conclusion was that he was "arrested on the denunciation of Adolf Yushkevich," who was Rokossovsky's associate in the Civil Division. But Konstantin Konstantinovich knew perfectly well that his friend had long since died, and therefore physically could not give any evidence against him. In fairness, it should be said that not always repression was justified.

So, in Rokossovsky's biography there was an episode when he raised his division in extremely bad weather (it was in Transbaikalia). People did not have normal warm clothes, horses were exhausted by a long transition. As a result, a large part of the personnel received frostbite, many died of pneumonia afterwards. A lot of horses broke their legs. The future marshal was just lucky that his actions were qualified as "negligence", although in those years this was under "sabotage" and was punishable by death under the laws of wartime.

The Great Patriotic War and the post-war period

He showed himself magnificently in the Battle of Kursk, with the liberation of Belarus. Companions and even enemies marked his undoubted military talent. After the war, did much to restore Russian (Soviet) influence in his native Poland. Like all great historical figures, he worked hard, not sparing himself. Like the brilliant military commander Zhukov, who led the Soviet troops, Rokossovsky could not sleep for days, when circumstances demanded. It should be noted that the Marshal has always confessed one of his convictions: "The army should always be above politics, the military should not interfere with it." In many respects because of this, even the "courtiers" of the Soviet period respected him.

Many denunciations written on Rokossovsky, did not pass precisely because of ridiculousness. Everyone knew that Konstantin Konstantinovich not only was not interested in perturbations in the higher echelons of power, but also categorically opposed interference in political affairs.

This man died in 1968. In memory of Rokossovsky was written many books and novels, his bust and monuments can be found on the territory of the entire former USSR. Textbooks on military affairs and tactics, which Konstantin Konstantinovich wrote, are still being studied in military academies of the Russian Federation.

The great historical figures described in this article - as you understand, are by no means the only ones we can be proud of. A complete list of all the outstanding people to whom our country owes the very fact of its existence is very long. And to name everyone and at least briefly mention his services to the Fatherland, the thickest book will not suffice.

Who were the greatest people in Russia? It would be wrong to single out only some of them. Just say that they were all real people with a capital letter. They did not crave fame, but simply sought to do the job as best they could for the country. Surely someday someday, textbooks will be published, in which the outstanding people of Russia of the 21st century will be listed. It remains to be hoped that the memories of their contemporaries will allow us to say the same about them.