Throughout history, Russia has nurtured one of the greatest minds of the humankind, including well-known writers, scientists, public leaders, singers, actors, composers, and many others. With autumn coming around, we celebrate the birthdays of those great Russians who made a significant contribution to the progress of the human mind.
Innokenty Annensky
September 1, 1855 – December 13, 1909
In September, Russia saw the birth of one of the greatest Silver Age poets. Innokenty Annensky gained a reputation as a person of remarkable intellectual capacity, an accomplished poet and playwright, and an expert in literature and the history of the Russian language. Annensky had his works published during his mature years when he was 48. He never aspired to fame and hid his real identity behind his pen-name “Nik.-T-o” (i.e. “Nobody”). In his poems, Annensky tried to catch a glimpse of the internal conflict, the state when a person’s heart and mind feel like they are split in two. Even in his poem September, Annensky touches the same problem as he skillfully describes the dusk of life; the mature age, although, bringing peace of mind, haunts us with the inevitable decline of life.
September
by Innokenty Annensky
The gardens full of gold and decay,
With lure of purple of the swelling ailments,
And tardy heat of sun in curves of sunbeam’s remnants,
Unable to distil into the fragrant spray.
The carpets’ yellow silk and traces, roughly laid,
And the avowed false of the preceding meeting,
And ponds of parks, extinguished, deep and sad,
And ready long ago for suffering and missing…
But ones’ hearts only seek past beauty in decays,
Just the allurement of enchanted forces,
And they, who’ve tested the unearthly lotus,
Are thrilled by fragrance of autumnal days.
Alexander Vishnevsky
September 4, 1874 – November 13, 1948
On September 4, a famous Russian surgeon was born. Alexander Vishnevsky rose to fame thanks to the creation of a unique topic medication ever since known as Vishnevsky liniment. This balsamic liniment has been used to treat wounds, burns, skin ulcers, and suppurations. Vishnevsky liniment was broadly used in the Soviet army during the World War II. The so-called Vishnevsky Triad (local anaesthesia, procaine blockade, and bandages with an oily-balsamic emulsion) saved hundreds of thousands of the Soviet soldiers.
Alexander Vishnevsky wrote over 100 research papers on clinical and urinary surgery, neurosurgery, and many others. Vishnevsky also described the role of the nervous system in the inflammatory process. He developed new methods of treating inflammation, purulent wounds, and traumatic shock.
Wolf Messing
September 10, 1899 – November 8, 1974
September is the birthday month of Wolf Messing, the legendary figure who performed in public using his telepathic skills. He is remembered as a person who could read thoughts and predict the future. Messing’s personality is still shrouded in mystery. He was a poor Jewish boy born in Poland, the territory of the Russian Empire. Messing's abilities attracted the attention of the most influential people of the time, including Freud, Einstein, Hitler, and Stalin. There still is no official and publicly available information on Messing’s life; his dossier, marked confidential, is stored in the archives of the Federal Security Services. What we are left with is Messing’s photographs, newspaper reviews of his performances, some scraps of information from his closest friends, and an autobiographical novel. It seems an impossible task to separate legends and myths that surround Messing’s life from the reality. Whether he was a real magician is yet to be revealed.
Mikhail Kutuzov
September 16, 1745 – April 28, 1813
On September 16, we celebrate Mikhail Kutuzov’s birthday, a world-famous military commander and diplomat, entirely devoted to Russia. His life was the story of wars and victories. Kutuzov’s bravery earned him a variety of awards, full recognition, and respect. He was shot in the head twice and miraculously survived the severe injuries. As though chosen by fate, Kutuzov dedicated himself to great deeds that changed world history. When he brilliantly repelled Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Kutuzov became the country’s saviour and a national hero. Experienced commander and skilful negotiator, Kutuzov became the personification of the Russian spirit and character. As a Soviet historian Yevgeny Tarle wrote, Napoleonic domination lasted for a long time, and it was the Russian army under Kutuzov who dealt a fatal blow to his supremacy.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
September 17, 1857 – September 19, 1935
On September 17, 1857, an ingenious Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was born. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky is known as one of the founding fathers of astronautic theory, modern rocketry and cosmonautics. Tsiolkovsky is given credit for sending the Russians into space. The Tsiolkovsky’s genius is not only in his enormous contribution to conquering space but also in his multi-faceted personality. Tsiolkovsky’s dedicated his works to cosmonautics, aerospace engineering, aeronautics, and aerodynamics. He also was a philosopher and writer, intertwining science and fiction, calling for colonising space. Tsiolkovsky believed that the progress of humanity could not be possible without exploring the outer world. He claimed that science, carefully guided by ethics, could positively transform our lives. Tsiolkovsky’s works have significantly influenced scientists from Russia and other countries.
Sergey Ozhegov
September 22, 1900 – December 15, 1964
There are two Russian linguists well-known in Russia, and they are Vladimir Dahl and Sergey Ozhegov. Just like Dahl, Ozhegov rose to fame thanks to his Dictionary of the Russian Language, the most widely used reference for the Russian language today. Sergey Ozhegov was a born lexicographer who had outstanding linguistic abilities. Gifted with a phenomenal memory, he knew the subtle peculiarities affecting the Russian language. His world-famous Dictionary of the Russian Language has been republished multiple times in Russia and abroad and became an indispensable guide for those learning the language. With its scientific validity and high explanatory value, Ozhegov’s dictionary outlasted its author.
Dmitri Shostakovich
September 25, 1906 – August 9, 1975
When listening to Dmitri Shostakovich’s music, one is always gripped by its enormous power. Shostakovich saturated his works with deep love for people and passionate hatred of fascism, totalitarianism, and other forms of tyranny. Through his music, Shostakovich reflected on the events happening in the USSR and around the world and dedicated his musical masterpieces to the greatest historical events. He was the author of symphonies, quartets, concerts, vocal cycles, and operas. Dmitri Shostakovich also composed music for theatrical performances and films.
Dmitri Shostakovich is the pearl in the music of the XX century. He was probably the only composer who could feel his country so deeply and create the music of profound influence on the listener. Today Shostakovich’s musical mastery is widely renowned all around the world and awakens sublime feelings in the listeners’ hearts.
Ivan Pavlov
September 26, 1849 – February 27, 1936
Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov shooted to fame like no other Russian scientist of the XIX-XX centuries. As an exceptionally gifted scientist, Ivan Pavlov made an invaluable contribution to the development of psychology and physiology. Pavlov is considered to be the founding father of the theory of higher nervous activity. He founded the most prominent Physiology School in Russia and conducted pioneering research into the physiology of digestion. Pavlov’s unique approach was in uniting psychology and physiology, the connection between which he proved experimentally. His world-known experiments with dogs that led to the discovery of classical conditioning laid the foundation for the development of behaviourism. Ivan Pavlov devoted over 35 years of his life to the research on higher nervous activity. Pavlov's works were highly influential abroad, with Pavlov laboratories spreading across America, England, and France.
Oleg Basilashvili
September 26, 1934
It seems there is no Russian movie fan who does not know Oleg Basilashvili, one of the greatest Soviet/Russian actors. Apart from his countless awards and honorary titles, Basilashvili attained the title of the National Artist of the Russian Federation. His masterful play has enriched the country’s film history. Basilashvili successfully graduated from world-renowned Moscow Art Theater School. His career path brought him to Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) where he started working at Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater and is engaged in many plays up to this day. The Theater’s visitors have since enjoyed dozens of plays featuring Basilashvili. He has vividly portrayed a broad variety of characters by Chekhov, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dickens, and Anouilh. In 1956, he made his film debut. Basilashvili realistically portrayed various characters, confirming his exceptional talent. During the 70s and 80s, Basilashvili shooted to fame. Russia’s beloved Office Romance (1977) stars Oleg Basilashvili as irresistible but sneaky Yuri Samokhvalov. Basilashvili brilliantly played his parts in such recognised films as Autumn Marathon (1979), Say a Word for the Poor Hussar (1980), and Station for Two (1982). The next century saw him starring in such well-known TV series as Bandit Petersburg (early 2000s) and The Master and Margarita (2005), with the latter showing Basilashvili as the most frightening character of the book - Voland the Devil. Oleg Basilashvili’s filmography boasts over 80 pictures, with all of them revealing the actor’s genius.
Nikolai Ostrovsky
September 29, 1904 – December 22, 1936
During the first years of the XX century, Russia saw the birth of another great writer-to-be. Nikolai Ostrovsky, one of the greatest Russian novelists, is best known for writing How the Steel Was Tempered with Pavel Korchagin as the central character. Ostrovsky claimed that, although not autobiography, the book features a lot from the author's life. Ostrovsky’s life was a heroic adventure itself; he was a person of bravery and courage who dedicated his life to fighting for his Motherland. During the Civil War, Ostrovsky generously helped revolutionaries, and in 1919 he became a Komsomol member. Ostrovsky went to war voluntarily and was severely wounded, which later resulted in him going blind. During the autumn of 1930, he started working on his most known and much-admired book. Thanks to his family and friends, Ostrovsky managed to finish his heroic novel. Pavel Korchagin became a national hero, a symbol of bravery and fight for freedom. The protagonist of How the Steel Was Tempered has since grown from a book character into a role model for the young generation. The famous words from How the Steel Was Tempered are known to almost every Russian:
“Man's dearest possession is life. It is given to him but once, and he must live it so as to feel no torturing regrets for wasted years, never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past; so live that, dying, he might say: all my life, all my strength were given to the finest cause in all the world – the fight for the Liberation of Mankind”