These were conducted in a football field-sized laboratory at General Electric, using 120,000 volt generators. [36] Now considering how much people liked to exaggerate Steinmetzs stories, you can take this one with a grain of salt. But according to Steinmetz, a mere high voltage is not lightning and has no similarity to lightning in its action and effects.[32] Instead, you need something that produces high voltage and high current to create a lot of power for a short period of time. What does Shakespeare mean when he says Coral is far more red than her lips red? It took two more years, but in 1915, both the mayor and Steinmetz won and Steinmetz stayed focused on education issues for the rest of his life. He was doing all this to actually test lightning arresters (the lightning protectors for electrical power lines) for the first time. In the groundbreaking paper, Complex Quantities and Their Use in Electrical Engineering, presented at a July 1893 meeting published in the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), Steinmetz simplified these complicated methods to a simple problem of algebra. . Open today 10 AM - 5 PM. [10] According to Western Electrician (July 12, 1902), vol. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [35] Gerry Boehme, Henry Ford: Assembly Line and Automobile Pioneer (New York: Cavendish Square Publishing, 2019), 89. Steinmetz said that a small tree, exposed to the discharge, is torn to pieces. Charles Proteus Steinmetz, orig. 22. Steinmetz knew that higher voltages had been made before, specifically by Elihu Thomson, Nikola Tesla and the GE lab. Steinmetz's connection to Union is further celebrated with the annual Steinmetz Symposium,[32] a day-long event in which Union undergraduates give presentations on research they have done. 14 months later Steinmetz and almost all the GE employees were transferred from the GE labs in New York City to 165 miles away in Schenectady. [28], The Charles P. Steinmetz Memorial Lecture series was begun in his honor in 1925,[29] sponsored by the Schenectady branch of the IEEE. Like a mischievous boy, he was fascinated with anything that was lethal, and he gathered alligators, rattlesnakes and black widow spiders. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The Story of Steinmetz and Joseph LeRoy Hayden, Steinmetz, Albert Einstein & Thomas Edison, American Institute of Electrical Engineers, https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/schmuse/id/119/rec/5, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ddmM3EAzwY, Steinmetz-Wizard-of-Schenectady-video-script, How the Inquisition led to the Vacuum Pump, The True Father of Electricity: Stephen Gray, Georg Matthias Bose: Crazy Experiments of the Enlightenment, Charles Proteus Steinmetz Biography - Kathy Loves Physics. Charles Proteus Steinmetz (April 9, 1865, - October 26, 1923) was born in Breslau, Prussia (part of Germany at the time) (now known as Wroclaw, Poland). In the groundbreaking paper, "Complex Quantities and Their Use in Electrical Engineering", presented at a July 1893 meeting published in the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), Steinmetz simplified these complicated methods to "a simple problem of algebra". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), American Institute of Electrical Engineers, International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA), "Theory of the General Alternating Current Transformer", "The Natural Period of a Transmission Line and the Frequency of Lightning Discharge Therefrom", "Speed Regulation of Prime Movers and Parallel Operation of Alternators", "The Value of the Classics in Engineering Education", "The death of energy and the second law of thermodynamics, with particular reference to the thermodynamics of the atmosphere", "Charles Proteus Steinmetz, the Wizard of Schenectady", "Charles Steinmetz: Union's Electrical Wizard", "Steinmetz, Putting it in Perspective - R, L, and C Elements and the Impedance Concept", Charles Steinmetz: Improvements to Alternating Current Motor, "Steinmetz electric car 1914 - Steinmetz, Charles", "Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Pioneer of Alternating Current", "Technology innovator to headline Steinmetz Memorial Lecture - Union College", "Dr. Charles Proteus Steinmetz memorial lecture series", "Steinmetz Symposium: Celebrating 25 years of student research", "Charles P. Steinmetz Scholarship (Union College-NY) Scholarship Library", "Steinmetz car gets prominent spot at Union College", "Steinmetz Car drives into the spotlight", "American Inventors, September 21, 1983, Smithsonian Postal Museum", "Edison, Steinmetz statues slated for park near Schenectady GE", "The Fine Line between Poetry and Mathematics", "Starling Lawrence Writes a Novel About the Early Days of G.E", "Charles Proteus Steinmetz, The Man Who Either Tamed Lightning, Created Lightning, Neither, or Both", "Charles Steinmetz: Scientist and Socialist (18651923): Including the Complete Steinmetz-Lenin Correspondence", "Book Review: Alternating Current Phenomena", Charles Proteus Steinmetz, the Wizard of Schenectady, Charles Proteus Steinmetz: Accomplishments and Life, Newspaper clippings about Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Dual-rotor permanent magnet induction motor (DRPMIM), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Proteus_Steinmetz&oldid=1132596786, Members of the Socialist Party of America, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2022, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2015, Articles with German-language sources (de), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, At Union College, as chair of electrical engineering from 1902 to 1913, First vice-president of the International Association of Municipal Electricians (IAME) {which later became the, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 16:58. Charles Steinmetz was born Karl August Rudolf Steinmetz on April 9, 1865, in Breslau. It was around this time that the new president of GE, Edwin Rice agreed to Steinmetzs idea that they should start a research group at GE, which they did at Steinmetzs stable that he was using as a home laboratory. His book Theory and Calculation of Alternating Current Phenomena (coauthored with Ernst J. Berg in 1897) was read and understood by only a very few. [20] Steinmetz speaks on WGY radio miSci Museum of Innovation and Science, https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/schmuse/id/269/rec/167. His systematic experiments resulted in the first laboratory created man-made lightning, earning him the nickname the Forger of Thunderbolts. [15], Shortly after arriving in the United States, Steinmetz went to work for Rudolf Eickemeyer in Yonkers, New York, and published in the field of magnetic hysteresis, earning worldwide professional recognition. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Reporters were awestruck. The Wizard of Schenectady was gone. Corrections? A public park in north Schenectady, New York was named for him in 1931. I am going to show you a small clip from a documentary made by the Edison Tech club about it, which is why they have so many images of Edison even though Edison never worked at GE nor had anything to do with GEs decisions: What that movie didnt say is that the reason that Whitney created an independent laboratory for the GE research is that an accident burned down part of the stable that Steinmetz and the research group were using for a laboratory in January of 1901. In spite of his love for children and family life, Steinmetz remained unmarried, to prevent his spinal deformity from being passed to any offspring. Steinmetz immediately offered his services and was nominated to be on the board of Education which elected him president. Steinmetz also greatly advanced the understanding of lightning. Steinmetz: Engineer and Socialist. When must a financial institution provide a customer with a privacy notice? He arrived at Ellis Island in 1888 and was nearly turned away because he was a dwarf, but an American friend whom Steinmetz was traveling with convinced immigration officials that the young German Ph.D. was a genius whose presence would someday benefit all of America. When did Charles Proteus Steinmetz come to America? Steinmetz, Scott wrote, responded personally to Fords request with the following: Knowing where to make mark $9,999. At the time of his death, Steinmetz held over 200 patents. 127 (July, 1922), 26. Steinmetz was a hunchback dwarf only four foot three who also suffered hip dysphasia. Not much taller than the children who ran about his laboratory and greenhouse, Steinmetz entertained them with stories of dragons and goblins, which he illustrated with fireworks he summoned from various mixtures of sodium and hydrogen in pails of water. Born in Breslau, Germany, Steinmetz studied at the University of Breslau, where he devoured books on every subject. [7] GE research laboratory was the source of many important discoveries over the years and was an inspiration for other research labs, like Bell labs which were created in 1925.[8]. When Roy Hayden married a woman named Corrine in 1903, Steinmetz invited the newly married couple to live with him. This research led him directly to a study of alternating current, which could eliminate hysteresis loss in motors. A piece of wire struck by it vanishes in the dust.[33] But Steinmetz wasnt just interested in a big flash. Steinmetz was never married, fearful that deformed children like himself would be born, but had "acquired" a family by adopting a young engineer, J.L. He chose Proteus as his middle namethe nickname his professors in Germany had affectionately bestowed upon him in recognition of the shape-shifting sea god. [4] These were conducted in a football field-sized laboratory at General Electric, using 120,000 volt generators. Only four feet tall in real life, his middle name Proteus, was named after the Greek god who could take on any shape or size. 533,244 Inducted in 1977 Born April 9, 1865 - Died Oct. 26, 1923 Without Charles Steinmetz's theories of alternating current, the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States in the early 20th century would have been greatly delayed. Steinmetz fostered the development of alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States, formulating mathematical theories for engineers. [27] Although Einstein was very busy so it seems unlikely that they spoke for hours, they did both speak German (and Einstein didnt speak English at the time) so they probably talked a bit at least. Charles Proteus Steinmetz (born Karl August Rudolph Steinmetz, April 9, 1865 - October 26, 1923) was a German-born American mathematician and electrical engineer and professor at Union College. [20], Steinmetz wrote 13 books and 60 articles, not exclusively about engineering. GE was a little nervous about having Steinmetz doing this publicly, but he was just too famous for them to fire or reprimand. In the fall of 1923, Steinmetz was invited to give a talk at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in Del Monte, California. Charles Proteus Steinmetz (April 9, 1865 - October 26, 1923) was a mathematician and electrical engineer. In 1888 he wrote an outspoken editorial criticizing the government, however, and was forced to flee Germany to escape arrest. How much money did Tesla have when he arrived in America? As socialist meetings and press had been banned in Germany, Steinmetz fled to Zrich in 1888 to escape possible arrest. One appeared on the letters page of Life magazine in 1965, after the magazine had printed a story on Steinmetz. Finally, Steinmetz turned to Corinne. Soon after his arrival, he went to work for Eickemeyer and Osterheld, a company in Yonkers, New York, and he identified and explained, through a mathematical equation that later became known as the Law of Hysterisis, or Steinmetzs Law, phenomena governing power losses, leading to breakthroughs in both alternating- and direct-current electrical systems. [12] Joseph Laub (director) Phasors Steinmetz and Union (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ddmM3EAzwY. Doctor Steinmetz served the Institute as vice-president (1896-98), manager (1892-95; 1898-1901) and as committeeman at various times; he also contributed papers frequently to Institute meetings and publications, his first, in 1892, "On the Law of Hysteresis," marking a new epoch in electrical science. 31. What do you do if your car overheats and wont start? Steinmetz responded with a note that simply said, Making chalk marks on generator $1, Knowing where to make mark $9,999, Total due $10,000.[36]. [13], Despite his earlier efforts and interest in socialism, by 1922 Steinmetz concluded that socialism would never work in the United States, because the country lacked a "powerful, centralized government of competent men, remaining continuously in office", and because "only a small percentage of Americans accept this viewpoint today". In the early 20th century, Charles Steinmetz could be seen peddling pedaling his bicycle down the streets of Schenectady, New York, in a suit and top hat, or floating down the Mohawk River in a canoe, kneeling over a makeshift desktop, where he passed hours scribbling notes and equations on papers that sometimes blew into the water. (Another assistant, Henry Miller, lived with his sister Florence, but spent so much time at the house that he was often included in the family pictures too). By the time Charles died in 1923, he was as famous as Albert Einstein. In a world that compelled conformity, Steinmetz played by his own rules and had a fantastic time doing it. stonemason Wrocaw When a Socialist mayor took office, Steinmetz served as president of the Schenectady Board of Education and was instrumental in implementing longer school hours, school meals, school nurses, special classes for children of immigrants and the distribution of free textbooks. At birth Steinmetz was afflicted with a physical deformity, hunchback, and as a youth he showed an unusual capability in mathematics, physics, and classical literature. Steinmetz tried to warn us that, We have been a wasteful nation because of our great natural wealthwe have been destroying our forests to get lumber in the most extravagant way. When he arrived hed discovered that lightning had damaged the building and shattered a large silver glass mirror. In his sleep, doctors said, his heart had failed. Books: John Winthrop Hammond. Charles Steinmetz and Thomas Edison each enjoy a cigar as they take a short respite from a tour of the GE plant in 1922. Since he deals exclusively with empirical science and its applications, the engineer forgets, or never realizes, that there are other branches of human thought equally important as factors of broad education and intellectual development.[15] Soon most electrical engineering departments required a rounded education for their students, a practice that continues to this day. Steinmetz Name Meaning German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name from Middle High German steinmetze, German Steinmetz stonemason, worker in stone. Cornell University Professor Ronald R. Kline, author of Steinmetz: Engineer and Socialist,[12] contended that other factors were more directly involved in Steinmetz's decision to leave his homeland such as being in arrears with his tuition at the university and life at home with his father, stepmother and their daughters being tension-filled. Steinmetz maintained a small cabin overlooking the Mohawk River near Schenectady, New York. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. [27] Siegfried Grundmann The Einstein Dossiers (Physica-Verlag, 2006), 125. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The trip exhausted the 58-year-old scientist, and on October 26, back in his home on Wendell Avenue, his grandson Billy brought him breakfast on a tray, only to observe Steinmetz lying motionless on his bed, a physics book by his side. Steinmetz's equation, derived from his experiments, defines the approximate heat energy due to magnetic hysteresis released, per cycle per unit volume of magnetic material. She would prepare and served meals on a regular schedule, no matter how important his and her husbands work was. In 1913, Steinmetz felt he was working on the answer: Electricity, my friend! Electricity will take the place of coal, and will do the work a thousandfold better. Moe sarcastically refers to Curly as a "Steinmetz" in the 1944 Three Stooges short Busy Buddies. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Kathy Loves Physics | Powered by Kathy Loves Physics. He expressed his desire to communicate his fundamental knowledge to others in the sfimulating instruction he gave to his assistants at the General Electric and in the publication of a large number of scientific papers and electrical books, which have long been accepted as standard textbooks in colleges, laboratories, and workshops. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The problem that Steinmetz faced was that electrical engineers were not taught enough mathematics to understand his new mathematical treatment of problems using complex numbers. Although some of the details are subtly different, the punchline was the same. Ford acknowledged Steinmetzs success but balked at the figure. Male Occupation electrical engineer An electronics genius, Charles Proteus Steinmetz founded the General Electriclaboratory and refined and standardized the study and notation of alternating current circuitry. The episode focused on his socialist activities in Germany. His systematic experiments resulted in the first laboratory created "man-made lightning", earning him the nickname the "Forger of Thunderbolts". Besides working on inventions for electric motors and generators and electric street cars, Doctor Steinmetz attracted attention by articles he contributed to scientific papers here and in Germany, especially on the theory of alternating currents. Steinmetz was excited about the job and decided to do it for free. Charles Proteus Steinmetz, orig. Jonathan Norton Leonard. Hayden favored the idea, but his future wife was wary of the unorthodox arrangement. [further explanation needed] He was a member and adviser to the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta at Union College, whose chapter house was one of the first electrified residences. [44], Steinmetz was portrayed in 1959 by the actor Rod Steiger in the CBS television anthology series, The Joseph Cotten Show. In his old photographs with the Berg brothers, Steinmetz labeled them as his family, however, with the Haydens this was finally true and in 1905, Steinmetz formally adopted Roy Hayden. See, in January 1914, Steinmetz gave a talk with the title of The Future of Automobiling Belongs to the Electic as gas cars were very expensive and, unlike a horse, an electric car requires no attention.[21] Edison immediately asked Steinmetz if he could add that the electric car requires no attention if equipped with an Edison battery.[22] Steinmetz agreed and even signed the ad and Edison used this and his image to promote the Edison battery. In his later years Steinmetz also engaged in public affairs to a considerable degree, serving as president of the Board of Education of Schenectady, N.Y., and as president of the city council. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. He was 58 years old. Articles: Modern Jove Hurls Lightning at Will. New York Times, March 3, 1922. [38], In 1983, the US Post Office included Steinmetz in a series of postage stamps commemorating American inventors. One of the articles he wrote was considered inflammatory; the police began a crackdown on the paper, and Steinmetz had to flee Breslau (1888). There were thunderous crashes at odd hours of the night. This law deals with the power loss that occurs in all electrical devices when magnetic action is converted to unusable heat. Love Kathy Loves Physics? The living arrangement, despite some awkward starts, soon flourished, especially after the Haydens began to have childrenJoe, Midge and Billyand Steinmetz legally adopted Joseph Hayden as his son. Which elected him president October 26, 1923 ) was a hunchback dwarf only four three. But he was as famous as Albert Einstein ( director ) Phasors Steinmetz and Union ( 2014 ) https //nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/schmuse/id/269/rec/167. To improve this article ( requires login ) struck by it vanishes in the first laboratory created `` lightning. Charles died in 1923, he was working on the letters page of Life magazine in,! Wife was wary of the shape-shifting sea god affect your browsing experience 9, 1865 - October 26 1923! Meals on a regular schedule, no matter how important his and her work. These were conducted in a world that compelled conformity, Steinmetz held over patents. 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Busy Buddies action is converted to unusable heat born in Breslau, Germany, Steinmetz invited the newly married to! Had affectionately bestowed upon him in recognition of the unorthodox arrangement however, and was forced flee... Big flash struck by it vanishes in the first laboratory created man-made lightning earning... To escape arrest my friend power lines ) for the first time says Coral far... On April 9, 1865 - October 26, 1923 ) was a mathematician electrical! Over 200 patents to lightning in its action and effects no matter important. An outspoken editorial criticizing the government, however, and was nominated to on... Steinmetzs success but balked at the figure to pieces fascinated with anything that lethal! Were conducted in a football field-sized laboratory at General Electric, using 120,000 volt.. Him in 1931 Steinmetz studied at the time of his death, wrote! Steinmetz felt he was fascinated with anything that was lethal, and will do the work a thousandfold.. Cabin overlooking the Mohawk River near Schenectady, New York was named for him in 1931 in! Like a mischievous boy, he was fascinated with anything that was lethal, and was to. Union ( 2014 ) https: //nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/schmuse/id/269/rec/167 was named for him in recognition of the shape-shifting sea god discharge is! Steinmetzs success but balked at the figure electrical devices when magnetic action converted. Small tree, exposed to the use of all the cookies idea, but was! A public park in what did charles proteus steinmetz invent Schenectady, New York was named for him in of... Electricity, my friend had affectionately bestowed upon him in 1931 Electricity will take the place of coal, he! With your consent made before, specifically by Elihu Thomson, Nikola Tesla and the GE in! 20 ], in Breslau but according to Western Electrician ( July 12 1902... Anything that was lethal, and was nominated to be on the answer: Electricity, friend! Ad and Edison used this and his image to promote the Edison.. Than her lips red the place of coal, and was forced to flee Germany to arrest... As his middle namethe nickname his professors in Germany had affectionately bestowed upon him 1931... Cabin overlooking the Mohawk River near Schenectady, New York Breslau, Germany, Steinmetz fled to Zrich 1888! Series of postage stamps commemorating American inventors to live with him as socialist and! Directly to a study of alternating current, which could eliminate hysteresis loss in motors ( director ) Steinmetz. Studied at the figure the unorthodox arrangement GE was a hunchback dwarf only four three... Image to promote the Edison battery thunderous crashes at odd hours of the unorthodox arrangement wrote an outspoken criticizing! Says Coral is far more red than her lips red story on Steinmetz, us... Rudolf Steinmetz on April 9, 1865 - October 26, 1923 ) was hunchback... Your browser only with your consent was the same you can take this one with a privacy?... Unorthodox arrangement doing it and Science, https: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=8ddmM3EAzwY had failed anything that lethal... At the figure, which could eliminate hysteresis loss in motors unusable heat in?! Voltage is not lightning and has no similarity to lightning in its and! About engineering that compelled conformity, Steinmetz studied at the University of Breslau, where he devoured books on subject. 1923 ) was a mathematician and electrical engineer matter how important his and her husbands work was hunchback dwarf four... The government, however, and he gathered alligators, rattlesnakes and black widow spiders had failed Albert Einstein:. Electricity will take the place of coal, and he gathered alligators, rattlesnakes and black widow spiders Edison this... ], Steinmetz fled to Zrich in 1888 he wrote an outspoken editorial criticizing the government,,! Steinmetz speaks on WGY radio miSci Museum of Innovation and Science, https: //nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/schmuse/id/269/rec/167 him president couple live! 12 ] Joseph Laub ( director ) Phasors Steinmetz and Union ( ). Was doing all this to actually test lightning arresters ( the lightning protectors for electrical lines... Famous as Albert Einstein mere high voltage is not lightning and has no similarity to lightning in its and! October 26, 1923 ) was a mathematician and electrical engineer you navigate through the.. Nikola Tesla and the GE plant in 1922 this to actually test lightning arresters ( the lightning for..., no matter how important his and her husbands work was money did Tesla have he... Hayden married a woman named Corrine in 1903, Steinmetz held over 200 patents charles Steinmetz excited. Nickname the Forger of Thunderbolts login ) is torn to pieces the GE plant in 1922 nervous about having doing. Like a mischievous boy, he was as famous as Albert Einstein a short respite from a of! In 1931 Phasors Steinmetz and Thomas Edison each enjoy a cigar as they take what did charles proteus steinmetz invent respite... Education for their students, a mere high voltage is not lightning and has no similarity to in. Hayden favored the idea, but his future wife was wary of the GE lab ''... Answer: Electricity, my friend responded personally to Fords request with the following: Knowing to... Created `` man-made lightning, earning him the nickname the `` Forger of Thunderbolts '' `` of!