German-American electrical engineer and inventor, was a pioneer in the field of electrical engineering, who invented a commercially successful alternating current motor. But the first commercial electricity was direct current. 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. She agreed after Steinmetz's assurance that she could run the house as she saw fit. Using complex mathematical equations, Steinmetz developed ways to analyze values in alternating current circuits. Wrocaw The Hayden children had a grandfather, Daddy Steinmetz, who ensured that they grew up in a household filled with wonder. STEINMETZ, CHARLESElectrical engineer and socialist Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865-1923), born in Breslau, Germany, on April 9, was a public figure of the Progressive Era who tried to engineer a better society by creating an early code of engineering ethics, running for political office, and advocating a technocratic form of socialism. 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. One of the articles he wrote was considered inflammatory; the police began a crackdown on the paper, and Steinmetz had to flee Breslau (1888). This wasnt as much as an all-boys club as you might think as there were several women and many children that would visit regularly, including Ernst and Eskil Bergs sister Julia, Millers sister Florence, a neighbor named Mrs. Krueger who was basically the den mother of this whole mad group and Steinmetzs half-sister Clara who would often stay for long periods until the craziness of the situation became too much when she would escape to her own devices in New York.[6]. | READ MORE. The Charles P. Steinmetz Memorial Lecture series was begun in his honor in 1925, sponsored by the Schenectady branch of the IEEE. 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. In 1892, the firm merged with the General Electric Company and he was sent to Lynn, Mass. He soon obtained a job with a small electrical firm owned by Rudolf Eickemeyer in Yonkers, N.Y. At about the same time, Steinmetz Americanized his first name to Charles and substituted Proteus, a university nickname, for his two middle names. Moe sarcastically refers to Curly as a "Steinmetz" in the 1944 Three Stooges short Busy Buddies. He felt that America, has given me everything I wanted the only criticism which I can make is that I would far more enjoy my advantages if I knew that everybody else could enjoy the same. The house was too large for Steinmetz, and the Haydens suspected what might be coming. Hayden, who later married and lived in the house with his wife and children that Charles had built for them. [13], When Joseph LeRoy Hayden, a loyal and hardworking lab assistant, announced that he would marry and look for his own living quarters, Steinmetz made the unusual proposal of opening his large home, complete with research lab, greenhouse, and office to the Haydens and their prospective family. If we move in with you, she eventually told him, I must run the house as I see fit.. She would prepare and served meals on a regular schedule, no matter how important his and her husbands work was. Books: John Winthrop Hammond. The surname Steinmetz is the 19,529th most prevalent last name internationally. 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. His systematic experiments resulted in the first laboratory created "man-made lightning", earning him the nickname the "Forger of Thunderbolts". (He famously checked the stability of the shack by hosting a large party and putting the band and the punch bowl at the weak end. Steinmetz experiments on power losses in the magnetic materials used in electrical machinery led to his first important work, the law of hysteresis. Steinmetz was president of the AIEE from 1900-01. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. It was around this time that the press started to get interested in Steinmetz. Charles Proteus Steinmetz was certainly one of the important scientists and engineers who, by their research and inventive contributions, helped to design electrical systems and to analyze electrical phenomena by sound scientific methods. Like a mischievous boy, he was fascinated with anything that was lethal, and he gathered alligators, rattlesnakes and black widow spiders. 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 had actually built the device in the fall of 1921 after Steinmetzs vacation cabin was struck by lightning two summers before. By the time Charles died in 1923, he was as famous as Albert Einstein. He was the electrical scientist and engineer, Charles Proteus Steinmetz. Steinmetz then decided that as he was so often called to look at special problems, GE should form a special consulting department that was composed of the best specialist engineers so that they could swoop down and deal with any emergency. Steinmetz's last research was on lightning, which threatened to disrupt the new AC power lines. [18] Sender Garlin Charles P. Steinmetz, scientist and socialist (American Institute for Marxist Studies, 1977), 12. He asked for an itemized bill. [34], A 1914 "Duplex Drive Brougham" Detroit Electric automobile that once belonged to Steinmetz was purchased by Union College in 1971, and restored for use in campus ceremonies. Floyd Miller. Letters to the Editors. Life, May 14, 1965. The Charles P. Steinmetz Scholarship is awarded annually by the college,[33] underwritten since its inception in 1923 by the General Electric Company. This accomplishment was largely responsible for the rapid progress made in the commercial introduction of alternating-current apparatus. [16] Eickemeyer's firm developed transformers for use in the transmission of electrical power among many other mechanical and electrical devices. 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]. stonemason This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 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. [28] Charles Steinmetz Four Lectures on Relativity and Space (McGraw-Hill, 1923), v. [29] Man-Made Lightning Under Control Schenectady Works, vol. His systematic experiments resulted in the first laboratory created "man-made lightning", earning him the nickname the "Forger of Thunderbolts". The picture shows Steinmetz with the grandchildren Midge, Billy, Joe, and his adopted son, Joseph Hayden in 1914. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. [3] A genius in both mathematics and electronics, he did work that earned him the nicknames "Forger of Thunderbolts"[4] and "The Wizard of Schenectady". 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. [32] Tamed Lightning Scientific American vol. In the fall of 1923, Steinmetz and his family traveled west by train, stopping to see the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and the actor Douglas Fairbanks in Hollywood. One result of Steinmetzs growing reputation was his employment by General Electric Company in its consulting department. [13], After an uneasy start, the arrangement worked well for all parties, especially after three Hayden children were born. This research led him directly to a study of alternating current, which could eliminate hysteresis loss in motors. A public park in north Schenectady, New York was named for him in 1931. (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). He stood just four feet tall, his body contorted by a hump in his back and a crooked gait, and his stunted torso gave the illusion that his head, hands and feet were too big. Henry Ford was thrilled until he got an invoice from General Electric in the amount of $10,000. Steinmetz with Lord Kelvin and others at GE, 1897, AIEE group photo, undated, c. 1900. In just a few years, Steinmetz would prove his American friend right. Cookie Policy In 1892 Steinmetz gave two papers before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers on his new law concerning hysteresis loss. However, over time, he faded from the public view and now he is virtually unknown to most people, which I find tragic. The Man Who Tamed Lightning: Charles Proteus Steinmetz. Therefore, in 1913, Steinmetz ran to be on the board in charge of finance. 10 (Feb 1913), 1020. He was 58 years old. He was on the verge of finishing his doctorate in 1888 when he came under investigation by the German police for activities on behalf of a socialist university group and articles he had written for a local socialist newspaper. Charles Steinmetz (near center) sitting next to Edwin Houston and in front of T. Commerford Martin, See also: Papers of Charles Proteus Steinmetz. As socialist meetings and press had been banned in Germany, Steinmetz fled to Zrich in 1888 to escape possible arrest. * The title he did not deny. Next, the eddy current flowing in each ring is obtained by solving a complex matrix equation of the form [X] [I] = [V] where X is the impedance matrix, I is the eddy current matrix, and V is the induced voltage matrix. Steinmetz said that a small tree, exposed to the discharge, is torn to pieces. At the time of his death, Steinmetz held over 200 patents. You can see how they did this in this clip from a 1976 GE promotional film. 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. Of course, I, Pingback: Charles Proteus Steinmetz Biography - Kathy Loves Physics, Your email address will not be published. [11] Hammond, Charles Proteus Steinmetz: A Biography, 283-4. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Loki: The Life of Charles Proteus Steimetz. Where did Charles Proteus Steinmetz live? [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]. GE and Union college continued to use his image to promote themselves so that he was commonly known to the general public up until the 1960s. [5] Steinmetz's equation,[b][6] Steinmetz solids, Steinmetz curves, and Steinmetz equivalent circuit[7] are all named after him, as are numerous honors and scholarships, including the IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award, one of the highest technical recognitions given by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers professional society. Corrections? Steinmetz third major scientific achievement was in the study and theory of electrical transientsthat is, changes in electrical circuits of very short duration. [16], Steinmetz's work revolutionized AC circuit theory and analysis, which had been carried out using complicated, time-consuming calculus-based methods. That, is the electrons don't travel down the wire but instead just vibrate back and forth. Ford was delighted until he got a bill for $10,000, at which point he demanded an itemized bill. In Greek mythology, Proteus was a cave-dwelling prophetic old man who always returned to his human formthat of a hunchback. He received 2 honorary degrees, the A.M. from Harvard (1902) and Ph.D. from Union (1903). According to Scott, Steinmetz listened to the generator and scribbled computations on the notepad for two straight days and nights. Steinmetz also greatly advanced the understanding of lightning. Steinmetz loved the trip but found it a bit tiresome and declared that their next one would be to the Mediterranean. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. However, they couldnt really get any of their prototypes off the ground, Steinmetz said that they made a few jumps but nothing they produced, could be dignified with the term flight.[5] Amusingly, Steinmetz managed to make it look like they flew with trick photography. Steinmetz agreed to all of Corrines terms. He went first to Zurich, then, in 1889 arrived in the United States. Steinmetz also greatly advanced the understanding of lightning. By this time, Steinmetzs reputation was exploding, at least with engineers. When Hayden announced that he intended to marry and find an apartment nearby, Steinmetz had an idea. [19] Steinmetz quoted by H. Bedford-Jones The Wonder-Work of the Mohawk Valley Popular Electricity vol. Repository. The whole family went together and in Hollywood, Steinmetz was given a tour of the set by non-other than the famous movie star Douglas Fairbanks. 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. In 1911, Steinmetz recalled that Schenectady had a reputation at that time of being very similar to a cemetery. , called the Steinmetz coefficients, are material parameters generally found empirically from the materials B-H hysteresis curve by curve fitting. 6. He developed theories for alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States. Hayden began to cook for Steinmetz, and soon had a cot placed in his bosss laboratory so he could nap during their marathon working hours. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The episode focused on his socialist activities in Germany. Charles P. Steinmetz Memorial Lecture series was begun in his honor in 1925 sponsored. That a small tree, exposed to the discharge, is torn to pieces 1913, Steinmetz listened the! And scribbled computations on the board in charge of finance for two straight days and nights to properly... 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