Lorenz Hengler (3 February 1806 – 1858) was a Catholic priest, astronomer, and aeronaut, the first of three people to independently invent the horizontal pendulum.

Life

Hengler was born to a family of farmers in Reichenhofen, Württemberg. At the age of fourteen he entered the Latin School of Leutkirch, and attended successively those of Ehingen and Tübingen; during his school holidays, he would entertain himself by building small balloons. In the winter of 1828 he studied mathematics and astronomy at Munich, under the instruction of Franz von Paula Gruithuisen, before leaving for financial reasons and finding employment in an optical workshop in Stuttgart.[1]

Hengler was the first of three people to independently invent the horizontal pendulum, used in early modern seismographs. (The others were Adolphe Perrot in 1862 and Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner in 1869.)[2] He presented this invention to the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in 1831,[1] and published it in 1832.[3]

During his time in Munich, Hengler also continued his interest in ballooning, building a large balloon which burst into flames shortly after taking off. He subsequently invented, tested, and published on a new model of conical parachute.[1][4][5]

Beginning in 1832, Hengler studied at the Tübingen Faculty of Catholic Theology until his ordination in 1835. He continued his work in astronomy as a priest, including working with his brother to build and sell telescopes.[1] At the time of his death in 1858, he was pastor of Tigerfeld.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Frechet, J.; Rivera, L. (2012). "Horizontal pendulum development and the legacy of Ernst von Rebeur-Paschwitz". Journal of Seismology. 16 (2): 316–319. Bibcode:2012JSeis..16..315F. doi:10.1007/s10950-011-9272-5. S2CID 122694274.
  2. ↑ Rigge, William F (1913). "Experimental Proofs of the Earth's Rotation". Popular Astronomy. 21: 268. The horizontal pendulum was invented three times: by Hengler in 1832, Perrot in 1862, and Zöllner in 1869, all these inventions being independent of one another.
  3. ↑ Hengler, Lorenz (1832). "Astronomische Pendelwage, nebst einer neuen Nivellirwage". Polytechnisches J (43): 81–92.
  4. ↑ Hengler, Lorenz (1832). "Verbesserung des Fallschirms". Polytechnisches J (43): 102–104.
  5. ↑ Jackson, Robert (2006). Baling Out: Amazing Dramas of Military Flying. Pen and Sword. Despite Cocking's tragic failure, a German named Lorenz Hengler is said to have made several trouble-free jumps with a conical parachute from heights of between ninety and 350 feet.

Sources

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Lawrence Hengler". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.


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