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Table of Contents
Prokop Diviš was a Czech canon regular, theologian, and natural scientist. He is famous for inventing the first grounded lightning rods in an attempt to prevent thunderstorms from occurring. His ideas were only accepted in the late 19th century, and he was finally seen as a visionary inventor. His supporters recognized him as the European inventor of the lightning rod.
See the fact file below for more information on the Prokop Diviš or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Prokop Diviš worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
PERSONAL BACKGROUND
- Prokop Diviš was born as Václav Divíšek on March 26, 1698 in Helvíkovice, Bohemia, now known as Ústí nad Orlicí District of the Czech Republic.
- As a child, he began his studies in the Jesuit gymnasium in their town. When he turned 18, he entered a gymnasium run at Premonstratensian abbey in the village of Louka, where he completed his study of philosophy and was ordained in 1726.
- He entered the abbey’s novitiate, taking the name Prokop, also known as Procopius.
EARLY LIFE
- He completed the probation the following year and professed his religious vows in the order. He also thought of philosophy during his stay at the abbey.
- He was granted the degree Doctor of Theology at Salzburg in 1733 in preparation for ordination in the Catholic priesthood.
- After getting his degree, he returned to the abbey and lived a monastic life as a canon regular, then as an abbey’s subprior.
- In 1736, he was appointed as a parish pastor in Přímětice, now a part of Znojmo in the Czech Republic. He served the town for five years before returning to the abbey in 1741 where he served as a prior.
- During the first Silesian war in 1742, the abbey’s abbot, Antonin Nolbek, was arrested and taken to prison by the forces of the Kingdom of Prussia. Diviš paid a hefty ransom for his release, but it displeased the abbot, which led to the prior’s return to Přímětice.
BEING A SCIENTIST
- Despite being a man of God, Diviš still contributed as a scientist and inventor. During his stay at Přímětice, he became responsible for managing the farmland that belonged to his parish.
- Diviš started his mechanics and electricity interests when he took charge of constructing the farm’s water conduit. He began to perform experiments mostly about plant growth and therapy with small electrical voltage.
- In 1753, Diviš also created the first electric musical instrument he called Denis d’or. It was similar to an organ which needed to be played by both hands and feet. Denis d’or can imitate the sound of other string instruments.
- The news about a professor in St. Petersburg named Georg Wilhelm Richman’s death, who was struck by lightning while observing a storm from a hut, reached Diviš.
- It prompted his interest in atmospheric electricity and he proposed through letters to several physicists to construct what he called the “weather-machine,” a device that could protect people from lightning strikes. His proposals were ignored and considered fringe science. He decided to build one himself.
- On June 15, 1754, he erected the first 40-meter-high free-standing pole in Přímětice, consisting of several tin boxes and more than 400 metal spikes.
- A well-accepted theory at the time was that more pointed spikes would conduct electricity better. Diviš believed that his invention was very effective as clouds formed when the pole was taken down and disappeared when erected again.
- For him, these occasional observations proved that the pointed spikes extracted latent electricity out of the atmosphere, removing them safely before lightning could form. Local newspapers and novelty papers picked up his attempts and reported them. However, the scientific community largely ignored his theories.
- In 1759, the villagers broke the chains of the lightning rod until it collapsed. They believed that the rod caused the drought that they were experiencing at that time. Diviš later built a smaller version of the rod and attached it to the steeple of his church.
REJECTIONS OF THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY
- Diviš devoted much of his time to the theoretical explanation of electricity. He referred to the book of Genesis and was influenced by Aristotle and the Scholastics.
- With these influences and the skepticism about his lightning conductor, Diviš failed to receive acknowledgements for his scientific works.
- He was denied membership in the Berlin Academy of Sciences in 1753 and to be a part of a competition at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1755. Lastly, he sought a professional chair at Vienna University in 1760, but they did not accept him.
- He had the same problem in his only publication, Magia naturalis, which was rejected by the Vienna Censors. It was only published a year after his death, with German Protestants’ help but was reviewed negatively by Johannes Nikolaus Tetens who called it a work of fantasy. Diviš died on December 21, 1765 in Přímětice at the age of 67.
REIGNITING HS NAME
- In the 19th century, his name ignited again, but this time, it is because several scientists recognized him as the European inventor of the lightning rod.
- His supporters called him a visionary inventor and compared his invention to Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod, built six years after Divis.’
- They concluded that his free-standing apparatus was better grounded than the American’s invention at that time.
Prokop Diviš Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Prokop Diviš across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Prokop Diviš worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Prokop Diviš who was a Czech canon regular, theologian, and natural scientist. He is famous for inventing the first grounded lightning rods in an attempt to prevent thunderstorms from occurring. His ideas were only accepted in the late 19th century, and he was finally seen as a visionary inventor. His supporters recognized him as the European inventor of the lightning rod.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Prokop Diviš Facts
- Prokop’s Profile
- Rejections and Challenges
- Prokop’s Journey
- An Aspiring Scientist
- The Clergyman Inquiry
- Clergymen / Scientists
- The Two Inventors
- Dear Prokop
- Validating Diviš: Fact or Bluff
- Campaign for Diviš
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