Articles by Steven Gilchrist

Cornelis Jacobszoon Drebbel (1572-1633) was born in Alkmaar, Holland.   Drebbel was an engineer and inventor.   Inventions that are attributed to Drebbel include: an air conditioning system, development of the predecessors to the barometer and the thermometer, fountains for drinking water systems, and a solar energy system for the city of London. In 1620, Drebbel was credited for building the first navigable submarine.   Drebbel also worked on creating microscopes, naval mines, detonators, and torpedoes for the British Royal Navy.

Stockbridge, MA. - Daniel Chester French (1850 – 1931) was one of the most prolific American sculptors during the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries.   In 1893, French became a founding member of the National Sculpture Society.   French was also a founding member of the United States Commission of Fine Arts.   In 1940, French was selected to be honored on a stamp for the U.S. Postal Service “Famous Americans” series.   His works of art are on display throughout the United States: most notably – the Abraham Lincoln statue (1920) at the Lincoln Memorial; the John Harvard statue at Harvard University; bronze doors at the Boston Public Library; the General Joseph Hooker statue at the Massachusetts State House; the Dupont Circle fountain in Washington, D.C.; the Minute Man statue (1875) in Concord, Massachusetts; and the Wisconsin statue (1920) on the top of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building. In 1931, French died at his summer home – Chesterwood in Sto...