Ján Bahýl
Encyclopedia
Ján Bahýľ was a Slovak
inventor and constructor. He was working on several problems from the areas of military science, military construction, engineering etc. Among others, he focused on flying machines. In 1895, he was granted a patent on helicopter
.
, Kingdom of Hungary
(today Slovakia
). In 1869, Bahýľ graduated from the Mining Academy of Banská Štiavnica
(Selmecbánya) with a diploma in technical drawing. After graduation, he joined the Hungarian Army
, where he was noticed by superiors after making technical improvements, and was transferred to the technical staff. The new assignment allowed Bahýľ to study at the Vienna
Military Academy, where he graduated in 1879, and was commissioned as a lieutenant
. During his time in the army, Bahýľ was able to develop a number of inventions, many of which involved hydraulics
.
n army. Bahýľ was granted seventeen patent
s in all, including the invention of a tank pump, a hot air balloon
combined with an air turbine, the first petrol engine car in Slovakia (in partnership with Anton Marschall), and a lift inside the castle hill up to the Bratislava Castle
.
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
inventor and constructor. He was working on several problems from the areas of military science, military construction, engineering etc. Among others, he focused on flying machines. In 1895, he was granted a patent on helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
Biography
Ján Bahýľ was born in Zvolenská SlatinaZvolenská Slatina
Zvolenská Slatina is a village and municipality of the Zvolen District in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia.-Geography:The village lies at an altitude of 340 metres and covers an area of 45.938km². It has a population of 2,671 people....
, Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
(today Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
). In 1869, Bahýľ graduated from the Mining Academy of Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as Štiavnica Mountains. Banská Štiavnica has a population of more than 10,000. It is a completely preserved medieval town...
(Selmecbánya) with a diploma in technical drawing. After graduation, he joined the Hungarian Army
Military of Hungary
The Hungarian Defence Force is the national military of Hungary. It currently has two branches, the Hungarian Ground Force and the Hungarian Air Force....
, where he was noticed by superiors after making technical improvements, and was transferred to the technical staff. The new assignment allowed Bahýľ to study at the Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Military Academy, where he graduated in 1879, and was commissioned as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. During his time in the army, Bahýľ was able to develop a number of inventions, many of which involved hydraulics
Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
.
Inventions
Bahýľ's first invention, called the Steam Tank, was financed entirely by himself and was purchased by the RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n army. Bahýľ was granted seventeen patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s in all, including the invention of a tank pump, a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
combined with an air turbine, the first petrol engine car in Slovakia (in partnership with Anton Marschall), and a lift inside the castle hill up to the Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on a quite isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava...
.