Mårten Triewald facts for kids
Mårten Triewald (born November 18, 1691 – died August 8, 1747) was a clever Swedish merchant, engineer, and scientist. He was also known as Mårten Triewald the Younger. He became a FRS, which is a special honor for top scientists.
Mårten Triewald's father, Mårten Triewald the Elder, was a farrier (someone who shoes horses) and an anchorsmith. His family came from Germany.
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Early Life and Learning
Mårten Triewald traveled to London, England, for his business. While there, he went to exciting lectures about Isaac Newton's ideas on physics. These lectures were given by a famous scientist named John Theophilus Desaguliers. Triewald even wrote letters to Desaguliers later on.
In 1716, Triewald started working as an inspector at a coal mine in Newcastle. This was a great chance for him to learn about mechanics and steam engines. He studied how these engines worked and even made them better!
Bringing Steam Power to Sweden
Triewald returned to Sweden in 1726. He went to the Dannemora mine and built a steam engine there. He called it a "fire and air machine." This steam engine is thought to be the very first one in Sweden used for real work in industry. It helped make mining much easier.
Teaching and Inventions
In 1728 and 1729, Triewald gave lectures about mechanics at the Swedish House of Nobility. He showed off a collection of science tools he had bought in England. Later, in 1732, these tools were given to Lund University. Triewald's helper, Daniel Menlös, even became a professor of mathematics there.
Triewald was very interested in new ideas. In 1729, he started a company focused on diving. He wrote a book called Konsten att lefa under watn, which means "The art of living under water." This book was all about using diving bells and other gear for divers. He also cared about bee-keeping and wrote a book about it in 1728 called Tractat om bij.
Important Roles and Honors
Because of his skills, Triewald was given the title director mechanicus. In 1735, he became a "Captain of Mechanics" for the Fortification Administration. People believed he was "the only one in the country suitable for this post." The Swedish Parliament even gave him a yearly payment for his important work.
Triewald was also a respected member of the science community. In 1729, he joined the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala. In 1739, he was one of six people who started the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. He was also chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society in England in 1731.
Triewald's Legacy
The mansion that Mårten Triewald bought in 1739 still stands today in Kungsholmen. It is called Triewalds malmgård and is named after him.
Mårten Triewald had a brother named Samuel von Triewald. Samuel was a poet and politician, and he was also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
See also
- Triewaldsgränd
