Imre Bródy
Encyclopedia
Imre Bródy a Hungarian
physicist, (the nephew of writer Sándor Bródy
) who invented in 1930 the krypton
-filled fluorescent lamps (also known as the krypton electric bulb),
with fellow-Hungarian inventors Emil Theisz, Ferenc Kőrösy and Tivadar Millner
. He developed the technology of the production of krypton bulbs together with Michael Polanyi
(in Hungarian Mihály Polányi).
, he wrote his doctoral thesis on the chemical constant
of monoatomic gases. After teaching in a high school, he became an assistant professor in applied physics at the University of Sciences and accomplished valuable theoretical work investigating specific heat and molecular heat. From 1920 he worked with Max Born
as assistant to the professor in Göttingen
. They jointly worked out the dynamic theory of crystals. He returned home in 1923 and worked at Tungsram
as an engineer to his death.
Later in life, Bródy worked on new light source problems. He stayed with his family after the German occupation of Hungary in 1944, and the immunity promised by the factory to him could not save his life. He died on 20 December 1944, at age 53, in Mühldorf
as a victim of fascism
.
Later the research institute of Tungsram in Budapest
has been named after him.
. The invention was the most economic bulb in the age, a real sensation at the time, which for decades was one of the most successful export products of Hungary
.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
physicist, (the nephew of writer Sándor Bródy
Sándor Bródy
Bródy Sándor, or Sándor Bródy was a Hungarian author and journalist.After attending the schools of that city he devoted himself entirely to literature...
) who invented in 1930 the krypton
Krypton
Krypton is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a member of Group 18 and Period 4 elements. A colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, krypton occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere, is isolated by fractionally distilling liquified air, and is often used with other...
-filled fluorescent lamps (also known as the krypton electric bulb),
with fellow-Hungarian inventors Emil Theisz, Ferenc Kőrösy and Tivadar Millner
Tivadar Millner
Hungarian Tivadar Millner was an inventor who developed tungsten lamps.Working at Tungsram, Tivadar Millner, along with Pál Túry,...
. He developed the technology of the production of krypton bulbs together with Michael Polanyi
Michael Polanyi
Michael Polanyi, FRS was a Hungarian–British polymath, who made important theoretical contributions to physical chemistry, economics, and the theory of knowledge...
(in Hungarian Mihály Polányi).
Career, life
Educated in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, he wrote his doctoral thesis on the chemical constant
of monoatomic gases. After teaching in a high school, he became an assistant professor in applied physics at the University of Sciences and accomplished valuable theoretical work investigating specific heat and molecular heat. From 1920 he worked with Max Born
Max Born
Max Born was a German-born physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a number of notable physicists in the 1920s and 30s...
as assistant to the professor in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. They jointly worked out the dynamic theory of crystals. He returned home in 1923 and worked at Tungsram
Tungsram
Tungsram is a Hungarian manufacturer of light bulbs and vacuum tubes since 1896. General Electric, in 1990, acquired majority share in one of Hungary's largest, oldest, and internationally most prestigious firms, the light-source manufacturer Tungsram. Over the past six years GE has invested $600...
as an engineer to his death.
Later in life, Bródy worked on new light source problems. He stayed with his family after the German occupation of Hungary in 1944, and the immunity promised by the factory to him could not save his life. He died on 20 December 1944, at age 53, in Mühldorf
Mühldorf
Mühldorf am Inn is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the district Mühldorf on the river Inn. It is located at , and had a population of about 17,808 in 2005.-History:...
as a victim of fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
.
Later the research institute of Tungsram in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
has been named after him.
The krypton lamp
Bródy in 1930 filled lamps with krypton gas in lieu of argon. Since the new gas was expensive, he developed a process with his colleagues to obtain krypton from air. Production of krypton filled lamps based on his invention started at Ajka in 1937, in a factory co-designed by Polányi and Hungarian-born physicist Egon OrowanEgon Orowan
Egon Orowan was a Hungarian/British/U.S. physicist and metallurgist.-Life:Orowan was born in the Óbuda district of Budapest. His father, Berthold, was a mechanical engineer and factory manager, and his mother, Josze Spitzer Ságvári was the daughter of an impoverished land owner...
. The invention was the most economic bulb in the age, a real sensation at the time, which for decades was one of the most successful export products of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
External links
- HPO - IMRE BRÓDY (1891 - 1944) at www.mszh.hu