Willem Janszoon came to the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria (in the North of Australia) in 1606. He found the land swampy and the natives unfriendly and uncivilized, so he turned back. He called the land he discovered “Nieu Zeland,” but the name was not accepted. Many years later Abel Tasman named New Zealand the same way. 1)
Hiram Bingham III (1875-1956) was an American scientist, explorer and politician. His greatest achievement was the discovery of the forgotten Inca settlement at Machu Picchu on July 24, 1911. He later served as a military pilot during World War I, governor of the state of Connecticut and senator. 2)
In 1761, astronomers had only telescopes at their disposal. During the final phase of the transit of Venus, Mikhail Lomonosov observed an arc of light on the side of the planet that was no longer directed against the background of the sun. He explained this phenomenon by refraction in the atmosphere. 3)
The prototype AC generator was built in France almost immediately after the discovery of the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction. It was built in 1832 by the mechanic Hippolyte Pixii. It is an electrical machine that converts mechanical energy, drawn from an external device that drives the alternator, into electrical energy in the form of alternating current. 4)
The modern appearance of the periodic table is due to Niels Bohr, who divided it into groups and periods. Groups are usually written in columns and periods are written in rows. Groups are divided into main groups and side groups. In main groups, periods occur every eight consecutive atoms, which is because there are exactly eight electrons on the shells. 5)