Christopher Polhammar

On this day Swedish scientist Christopher Polhammar (18 December 1661 – 30 August 1751), also known as Christopher Polhem was born on the island of Gotland. Polhem had a relatively troubled childhood; his father died when he was eight and his mother remarried. As he didn’t get on with his stepfather, his education was stopped and he was sent to live with his uncle in Stockholm. To survive he became a farmhand, but due to his determination and drive, he soon promoted to supervisor; partly because of his keen interest in mathematics and accounting. At the time, many scientific texts were written in Latin, and so to learn it, he made a trade with a local priest; Polhem built the priest a clock, and in return, he tutored Polhem in Latin. The clock also acted as an advertisement of Polhem’s technical skill, and it wasn’t long he was given an unusual opportunity to study at Uppsala University at the late age of 26. Among his achievements were fixing the astronomical clock at Uppsala Cathedral, which had remained broken for over 100 years; new, more efficient techniques for transporting mine ore; revamping and overhauling the education system for training engineers; and creating the first automated factory powered by water.

Date in History: 18 December 1661