Mechanically Perfect City

Published in [Polish]: Miasto Mechanicznie Doskonałe. "Czasopismo Techniczne: Architektura." 2010, vol. 15, issue 7-A2, pp. 233-237.

The past visions of future cities were based on strong believe, that development of technology would provide anything the city’s citizens could imagine. The inventive genius would be a cure for any problem of industrial society. In fact the city of skyscrapers is based on two mayor inventions: elevator and subway, securing respectively vertical and horizontal high speed transportation. Those inventions created a three-dimensional pattern in which – using Lewis Mumford words – every cubic foot of space is used day and night. Mechanically perfect.

Historia ekstraktorów Władysława Podbielniaka [The history of Podbielniak Extractors]

Published in Polish: 'Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki' ['Quarterly Journal of the History of Science and Technology'] (2011), Vol. 56, no 2, pp. 117-142

In 1946 United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration offered six penicillin factories to Poland, Czechoslovakia and other East European countries that had been devastated by war. The plan was to deliver full equipment that would allow the launching of production using the most up to date and efficient technology. The key device in the process was the so called Podbielniak extractor, a centrifuge developed and manufactured by Dr. Walter J. Podbielniak, an American of Polish origin. However, the U.S. administration banned the exportation of these units on the assumption that the centrifuges could be used for production of biological warfare. Later the restrictions took the form of an officially imposed embargo under the general coordination of the Mutual Defense Assistance Control Act, better known as Battle Act. In spite of the ban, which also cut East Europeans off the source of penicillin strains, Poland managed to run a factory with only a slight delay.  Soon, Poland’s pharmaceutical industry became a significant player on the global market of antibiotics

Joseph Tykocinski-Tykociner and his scientific career

Published in Polish: 'Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki' ['Quarterly Journal of the History of Science and Technology'] (2011), Vol. 56, no 1, pp. 143-171.

Joseph Tykocinski-Tykociner and his scientific career
[In Polish: Józef Tykociński-Tykociner i jego droga naukowa]

[excerpt, 1 page] The current Polish historiography has not yet devoted much attention to Joseph Tykocinski-Tykociner, a prominent inventor and philosopher of scienc, who made his greatest achievements abroad. His contribution to the field of electrical engineering has been barely noted. The fundamental "History of Polish electrical engineering" only mentioned him as the inventor of sound movie, but this was not explained any further. Definitely the most comprehensive account on Tykociner’s work on adding sound to movies in early 20th century, was written by Roman Wajdowicz in late 1960s, but apparently the author lacked most of important sources available today. Slightly wider echo among Polish philosophers of science had the Tykociner’s theory of zetetics (science of conducting research), which he had developed in early 1960s. This was referred to by as prominent Polish historians as Tadeusz Kotarbinski and Zdzislaw Kowalewski. As yet, however, there has not been an attempt made to present a fuller portrait of this extrardinary Polish-American scientist.
The interest of Joseph Tykocinski in technology dates back to his early teens. Later, when he was a respected professor at Illinois University, he said in one of his interviews that it all began with an old French book describing the operation of the telegraph. He found it at the attic of his family house in Wloclawek, Russian Poland. The engravings intrigued him so much, that he asked his older sister, able to speak French, to translate the description of this device to him. When he travelled to Warsaw few years later, he had an opportunity to familiarize himself with the operation of the telephone, and that experience has eventually helped him to make the decision as to his desired profession. He wanted to become an electrical engineer, with electro acoustic as the main field of interest. This however, did not match with what his father planned for son’s future. Jacob David Tykocinski, the wealthy Jewish grain merchant, wanted his son to take over the family business. The conflict with his father led Joseph to the decision to leave the house. In March 1896, he was merely 19, when he boarded the ship for America.

Ostatni polski alchemik, część 1 [The last Polish Alchemist, part 1]

In: 'Polonia' (2009), Vol. 6, no 4, pp. 40-43 [in Polish]

In early 1930s the newspapers and street journals in Europe and the United States were frequently reporting on a case of Zbigniew Dunikowski, a Polish engineer, who claimed to be in possession of a secret formula allowing production of gold from ordinary sand and rocks.
He believed that most of those materials contain some particles of gold. For the precious metal however, it takes millions of years to precipitate into the ledges that could be mined. His method was based on a conviction, that the process can be accelerated. Although he was nicknamed "Polish alchemist" very soon, his vain promises attracted attention of financiers and even some European political leaders. After few years of futile experiments, he was sued by his impatient financial backers, and arrested. While in detention, he was allowed to make the last attempt to produce gold and regain his repute and freedom. When this attempt failed, the judge sentenced him for two years in prison and ordered him to repay some 3 million francs ($100,000) to his investors. He was also fined with ... 100 francs fine (some 4 dollars).
It can not be definitively stated, whether Dunikowski was truly convicted that his formula for making gold could have been working or he acted as a swindler from the very beginning. He exclaimed that the accusation of fraud was caused by bankers, who would never let his method to undermine the status quo of world's economy. The experiments conducted in Ecole Centrale in Paris during his trial, were assisted buy several eminent French scientist. But although the judge sentenced, that Dunikowki's "secret process for turning sand into gold is an impracticable combination of absurdities and contradictions," Polish engineer was still able to find other backers after being released from French prison. We find the traces of his further activity in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Philippines. Finally, in early 1950s he ended his journey in the United States as a political refugee.

Ostatni polski alchemik, część 2 [The last Polish Alchemist, part 2]

In: 'Polonia' (2009), Vol. 7, no 5, pp. 56-59 [in Polish]

In early 1930s the newspapers and street journals in Europe and the United States were frequently reporting on a case of Zbigniew Dunikowski, a Polish engineer, who claimed to be in possession of a secret formula allowing production of gold from ordinary sand and rocks.
He believed that most of those materials contain some particles of gold. For the precious metal however, it takes millions of years to precipitate into the ledges that could be mined. His method was based on a conviction, that the process can be accelerated. Although he was nicknamed "Polish alchemist" very soon, his vain promises attracted attention of financiers and even some European political leaders. After few years of futile experiments, he was sued by his impatient financial backers, and arrested. While in detention, he was allowed to make the last attempt to produce gold and regain his repute and freedom. When this attempt failed, the judge sentenced him for two years in prison and ordered him to repay some 3 million francs ($100,000) to his investors. He was also fined with ... 100 francs fine (some 4 dollars).
It can not be definitively stated, whether Dunikowski was truly convicted that his formula for making gold could have been working or he acted as a swindler from the very beginning. He exclaimed that the accusation of fraud was caused by bankers, who would never let his method to undermine the status quo of world's economy. The experiments conducted in Ecole Centrale in Paris during his trial, were assisted buy several eminent French scientist. But although the judge sentenced, that Dunikowki's "secret process for turning sand into gold is an impracticable combination of absurdities and contradictions," Polish engineer was still able to find other backers after being released from French prison. We find the traces of his further activity in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Philippines. Finally, in early 1950s he ended his journey in the United States as a political refugee.

Immersed tunnel technology: A brief history of its development

Published in: 'Civil and Environmental Engineering Reports' (2010), no 4, pp. 97-110.

The paper is in English.

Abstrakt po polsku:

Tunele zatapiane: krótka historia rozwoju technologii

Pierwszy tunel wykonany w technologii zatapianych segmentów został wykonany w 1896 roku. Był to krótki odcinek kanału ściekowego w Bostonie. 10 lat później zbudowano tą metodą pierwszy tunel kolejowy, również w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Od tamtej pory na całym świecie powstało przeszło 100 konstrukcji tego typu. Początki technologii budowy tuneli poprzez zatapiania na dnie zbiornika wodnego gotowych segmentów sięgają początków XIX wieku. Teoretyczne rozważania, dziesiątki projektów i kilka nieudanych prób sprawiły, że zanim technologia ta została wdrożona, była szczegółowo opracowana a jej podstawowe założenia opatentowane. Dzieje rozwoju technologii tunelu zatapialnego to doskonały przykład koncepcji wyprzedzającej swoje czasy.

Eugeniusz Olszewski: Engineer, Historian and Cofounder of the Committee

Published in English: Weber W. (ed.), International Committee for the History of Technology 1968-2008. Bochum: International Committee for the History of Technology, 2009, pp.36-43.

An Alchemist or Swindler? The Case of Zbigniew Dunikowski

Published in Polish: 'Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki' ['Quarterly Journal of the History of Science and Technology'] (2009), Vol. 54, no 1, pp. 63-82.

In early 1930s the newspapers and street journals in Europe and the United States were frequently reporting on a case of Zbigniew Dunikowski, a Polish engineer, who claimed to be in possession of a secret formula allowing production of gold from ordinary sand and rocks.
He believed that most of those materials contain some particles of gold. For the precious metal however, it takes millions of years to precipitate into the ledges that could be mined. His method was based on a conviction, that the process can be accelerated. Although he was nicknamed "Polish alchemist" very soon, his vain promises attracted attention of financiers and even some European political leaders. After few years of futile experiments, he was sued by his impatient financial backers, and arrested. While in detention, he was allowed to make the last attempt to produce gold and regain his repute and freedom. When this attempt failed, the judge sentenced him for two years in prison and ordered him to repay some 3 million francs ($100,000) to his investors. He was also fined with ... 100 francs fine (some 4 dollars).
It can not be definitively stated, whether Dunikowski was truly convicted that his formula for making gold could have been working or he acted as a swindler from the very beginning. He exclaimed that the accusation of fraud was caused by bankers, who would never let his method to undermine the status quo of world's economy. The experiments conducted in Ecole Centrale in Paris during his trial, were assisted buy several eminent French scientist. But although the judge sentenced, that Dunikowki's "secret process for turning sand into gold is an impracticable combination of absurdities and contradictions," Polish engineer was still able to find other backers after being released from French prison. We find the traces of his further activity in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Philippines. Finally, in early 1950s he ended his journey in the United States as a political refugee.

BGK building in Warsaw: reconstruction of bombed structure in war condition

Published in [Polish]: Żelbet - wędrówki turystyczne : dziedzictwo techniki dla przyszłości Szczecin, 2007, pp. 158-168

BGK building in Warsaw: reconstruction of bombed structure in war condition.

In Polish historiography there is a lack of information o the process of reconstruction of Polish town and cities undertaken after the September 1939 but well before 1945, when Poland was liberated by Red Army. The story of National Economy Bank is an excellent sample to fill the gap. The bank was designed by a celebrated architect Rudolf Swierczynski in late 1920s. It suffered from bombing during the Nazis attack in September 1939. In following year and under German management of the bank but done entirely by Polish engineers the building has been reconstructed and even modernized. Also an air conditioning system has been designed and constructed by a Polish company.

Das BGK-Gebäude in Warszawa:mein Beispiel für den Wiederaufbau eines Gebäudes in Stahlbetonkonstruktion unter Kriegsbedingungen

Im Gesamtbild der Kriegsverhandlungen vom September 19.39 und der nachfolgenden Okkupation, das größtenteils in Kriegsfilmen und Kriegsliteratur, aber auch in Literaturbü-chern festgehalten wurde, fehlt einen Bezug zu den historischen Architekturbauwerken und anderen Objekten aus der Zeit nach der Besetzung von Polen und aus der Okkupationszeit. Ein interessantes Beispiel, das diese Lücke füllt, ist das Gebäude der Landesbank (BGK) in Warszawa. Das Bauwerk erlitt infolge der Bombenangriffe beim Angriff auf Polen erhebliche Schäden. Unter Einverständnis der Besatzungsmächte wurden 1940 die Schäden der Stahlbetonkonstruktion der Bank behoben. Die Arbeiten wurden von polnischen Bauingenieuren geleitet.
Der Entwurf des Gebäudes dei Landesbank wurde im Rahmen eines Wettbewerbes ausgewählt, der 1927 ausgeschrieben wurde. Es gewann das Konzept des Architekten Rudolf Swieiczyriski, der die Fakultät Architektur an der Technischen Universitär in Warszawa mit aufgebaut hat und dort Professor gewesen ist. Das 1940 in seiner ursprünglichen Form aufgebaute Gebäude wurde 1955 ausgebaut. Heute ist das BGK-Gebäude unsttittig eine der schönsten und am besten erhaltenen Perlen des polnischen Modernismus. Die besondere Geschichte des Objektes ist ein Teil unserer Geschichte.
Der Beitrag erörtert die Kulissen dieser Geschichte - beginnt mit dem Wettbewerb aus dem Jahr 1927 und den Ausbauplänen aus der Zeit kurz vor dem Kriegsausbruch, konzentriert sich dann auf die Beschreibung der Reparaturarbeiten aus dem Jahr 1940 und berichtet darüber vor dem Hintergrund der menschlichen Tragödien in der Kriegszeit.

Out of space: the architecture of subway’s stations

Published in [Polish]: "Czasopismo Techniczne: Architektura." 2008, issue 6-A, pp. 405-410.

When we are talking about urban space, we mostly think about a pattern of buildings and works of architecture framing the streets and the city’s squares. But how do we consider the structures hidden out of sight of an ordinary pedestrian, like subway stations? Being a part of subterranean infrastructure, they were shaped mainly by engineers, according to local geological conditions rather than architectural styles from above the surface. But for millions of people traveling daily by metro worldwide, those structures are limits forming subterranean space – out of city space.

[full version, although secured from being printed or edited, is available here, at digital library of Technical University of Krakow: http://www.biblos.pk.edu.pl/bc_downloadResource&resource_id=1443&url=bc.biblos.pk.edu.pl/bc/resources/CT/CzasopismoTechniczne_6A_2008/LotyszS/PozaPrzestrzenia/pdf/LotyszS_PozaPrzestrzenia.pdf ]

A politically correct beauty: in a search for new architecture in the post-1956 thaw Poland.

Published in [Polish]: "Czasopismo Techniczne: Architektura." 2007, issue 6-A, pp. 315-320.

The American home building program, that resulted with 10 millions homes built during ten years after World War II, attracted a considerably attention of all nations, including those from Soviet block. In late 1956, taking an advantage of the recent political thaw in Poland, a housing delegation, lead by vice minister Czeslaw Babinski, and celebrated engineer, Professor Waclaw Zenczykowski arrived to the US as the guests of National Association of Home Builders. During the four weeks long tour they visited several construction sites and exhibitions learning from the American experience. Although they seemed to be impressed by what they had seen, the visit passed unnoticed in Poland.

[full version, although secured from being printed or edited, is available here, at digital library of Technical University of Krakow: http://www.biblos.pk.edu.pl/bc_downloadResource&resource_id=326&url=bc.biblos.pk.edu.pl/bc/resources/CT/CzasopismoTechniczne_6A_2007/LotyszS/PieknoPolitycznie/pdf/LotyszS_PieknoPolitycznie.pdf ]

Book Review: Growing American rubber: strategic plants and the politics of national security by Mark R. Finlay

Published in [Polish]: "Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki." 2010, vol. 55, no 1, pp. 203-206

Mark R. FINLAY. "Growing American rubber : strategic plants and the politics of national security." New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press , 2009.

Book Review: The evolution of the car in the twentieth century by Zieliński W.

Published in [Egnlish]: "The Journal of Transport History." Vol. 28, no 2, September 2007, pp. 336-337

Andrzej ZIELINSKI. "Rozwój koncepcji samochodu osobowego w XX wieku" (The evolution of the car in the 20th century). Warszawa: Wydawnictwo IHN PAN, 2005.

Alfred Beach not alone: the American patents of pneumatic railway in 19th century

published in "ICON: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology." 2003, Vol 9

Joseph Tykociński-Tykociner (1877-1969), Pioneer of Sound on Film

published in "Gazeta: Newsletter of the American Association for Polish-Jewish Studies." 2006, Vol. 13, no 3

Kolej Atmosferyczna

CONTROVERSIES OVER THE ROLE OF THE'POLISH FORMULA'IN THE AMERICAN SYNTHETIC RUBBER PROGRAMME OF 1942-1945

O OCHRONĘ ZABYTKÓW TECHNIKI NA ZIEMI LUBUSKIEJ

Inventions and technology at Polish exhibition at World’s Fairs 1939