The brawn, brain, and inventive genius of the immigrants and their
descendants have made the United States a world leader in science and
industry. In reading about this pageant of achievement, which is unique
in human history, you will also learn something about the =diverse racial
origins= of those who laid the gifts on the “altar of America.” Here they
are—IMMIGRANTS! SONS OF IMMIGRANTS! AND SONS OF SONS OF IMMIGRANTS!—men
and women who have thrilled the worlds of science and industry, the arts
and crafts, and social progress and government. The _italics_ indicate
the racial origin of each individual or a major racial group from which
he is descended, although it should be kept in mind that a person’s
ancestors frequently include many racial strains. The achievements listed
are suggestive rather than exhaustive.
_Medicine_
[Illustration]
Use of cocaine as local anaesthetic first introduced by Carl Koller,
_German Jew_ ... ether first demonstrated to the world in surgical
operation by William Morton, _Scot_ ... first successful operation on
human heart performed by Daniel H. Williams, _Negro_.
Schick Diphtheria Test devised by Dr. Bela Schick, _Hungarian Jew_ ...
pioneer work in antiseptics by Henry Banga, _Swiss_, and many lives saved
during World War through contributions to aseptic surgery of Alexis
Carrel, _French_ ... preventive compound for cholera and typhoid fever
discovered by F. G. Novy, _Slovak_ ... apparatus for electric blood
transfusion perfected by D. J. Calicchio, _Italian_.
Charles and William Mayo, _Irish_, have made surgery almost as reliable
a science as bookkeeping ... Charles McBurney, _Scotch-Irish_,
discovered McBurney’s Point as a sign for the necessity of operating for
appendicitis.
Discovery that the disease pellagra was due to faulty diet made by Joseph
Goldberger, _German Jew_ ... typhus and typhoid fever distinguished by
Alfred Stillé, _Swede_ ... human blood classified in different types by
Karl Landsteiner, _Austrian Jew_ ... research work in combatting syphilis
and yellow fever by Hideyo Noguchi, _Japanese_.
Expert on infantile paralysis and meningitis is Simon Flexner, _German
Jew_ ... first removal of human ovary by Ephraim MacDowell, _Scot_
... one of the famous authorities on plastic surgery is V. Kazanjian,
_Armenian_ ... world authority on venereal disease is Vecki Victor,
_Yugoslav_ ... Edward Trudeau, _French_, began sanatorium treatment for
tuberculosis ... Clifford Beers, _English-Netherlander_, founder of
mental hygiene movement.
Discovery that mosquitoes carried yellow fever made by Walter Reed,
_English_ ... malaria driven out of Panama by General William C. Gorgas,
_Scotch-Irish-Netherlander_ ... first hospital in colonies founded by Dr.
Thomas Bond, _Welsh_.
_Physics_
[Illustration]
Our great electrical wizards have been: Joseph Henry, _Scotch-Irish_, who
helped to invent the telegraph ... Charles Steinmetz, _German-Polish_,
mathematical genius and electrical scientist, who had one of the world’s
most inventive minds ... Thomas Edison, _Scot-Netherlander_, who invented
electric light bulb and phonograph ... Michael Pupin, _Yugoslav_, who
perfected tuning-in mechanism of radio.... Nicola Tesla, _Yugoslav_, who
made extensive use of electrical power possible ... Vladimir Karapetoff,
_Armenian_, inventor of electrical devices.
Most distinguished physicist on light rays is Albert A. Michelson,
_German Jew_ ... on x-rays, Arthur H. Compton, _English_ ... on cosmic
rays, Robert Millikan, _Scotch-Irish_ ... outstanding investigator
of Röentgen ray is Mihran Kassabian, _Armenian_ ... through work on
electrotechnics, expansion of telephonic and telegraphic communication
made possible by E. F. W. Alexanderson, _Swede_ ... John Kruesi, _Swiss_,
helped Edison develop electric incandescent lamp, dynamo, and phonograph.
_Astronomy_
[Illustration]
First observatory put up by Ephraim Williams, _Welsh_ ... many of our
early-day almanacs based on astronomical studies and computations of
David Rittenhouse, _German-Welsh_ ... Lick Observatory, California,
and Yerkes Observatory, Wisconsin, founded by James Lick and Charles
Yerkes, _Germans_ ... for pictures of many of the stars, Dorothy Klumpke,
_German_, achieved much fame ... famous mathematician and everyday
almanac maker was Benjamin Banneker, _Negro_, who also helped L’Enfant,
_French_, to lay out Washington, D. C.
_Chemistry_
Ephedrin, drug used as base for cold remedies, discovered by K. K. Chen,
_Chinese_ ... adrenalin and diastase, discovered by Jokichi Takamine,
_Japanese_ ... grape sugar changed into tartaric acid by Mooshegh
Vaygoony, _Armenian_ ... George Washington Carver, _Negro_, made 145
products from peanut, 100 products from sweet potato, and 60 products
from the pecan ... fermented milk product of high curative values
discovered by H. M. Dadoorian, _Armenian_.
_Exploration_
A pilot on one of Columbus’ ships was Pedro Alonzo, _Negro_ ... first
explorers in New Mexico led by Estévanico, _Moroccan_ ... first settlers
of Alabama, who accompanied De Soto in 1540, were Robles, _Negro_, and
Feryada, _Greek_ ... first reliable map of Virginia and Maryland made by
Augustine Herrman, _Czech_.
Lewis, _Welsh_, and Clark, _English_, led the famous expedition to
the Northwest ... 1903 Ziegler Expedition to the North Pole led by
Anthony Fiala, _Czech_ ... North Pole discovered by Robert Peary,
_French-English_, accompanied by Matthew Henson, _Negro_ ... first to fly
across South Pole was Richard Byrd, _English_.
_Other Sciences_
First of American geologists was William McClure, _Scot_ ... the great
naturalist, John J. Audubon, _French-Spanish_, taught us about birds of
America ... many inspired to study natural sciences by Louis Agassiz,
_French_ ... Henry D. Thoreau, _Huguenot_, was great naturalist and
writer ... famous anthropologists are Franz Boas and Edward Sapir,
_German Jews_, and Ales Hrdlicka, _Czech_.
International authority on zoology and botany is Leonhard Steiniger,
_Norwegian_ ... expert on function of cell and fertilization is
Ernest Just, _Negro_ ... first botanical garden in world founded near
Philadelphia by John Bartram, _Welsh_, early in 18th century ... public
garden, established in Georgia by General Oglethorpe, _English_, served
as our first agricultural experiment station ... scientific breeding of
plants demonstrated by Luther Burbank, _English-French-Netherlander-Scot_.
_Philosophers_
Famous philosophers: Wm. James, _Welsh-English_ ... John Dewey, _Irish_
... Santayana, _Spaniard_ ... Jiddu Krishnamurti, _Hindu_.
_Agriculture_
[Illustration]
First vineyard in our country was set out by Jean Jacques Dufour, _Swiss_
... oranges, olives, dates, and grapes were brought to California by Fray
Junipero Serra, _Spaniard_ ... fig cuttings were imported by Denotovitch
of Fresno, _Yugoslav_ ... wild strawberry developed into large table
variety by Johann Schwerdkopf, _German_, who came to Long Island before
Revolutionary War.
Alfalfa seed, known as Lucerne, brought to Minnesota and developed by
Wendelin Grimm, _German_, in 1858 ... hardy alfalfa for prairies of
northwest, brought from Siberia and Turkestan by Niels Hansen, _Dane_ ...
mower and reaper invented by Cyrus McCormick, _Scotch-Irish_.
Simple tests to determine whether soil needs nitrogen, phosphates, or
potash devised by George Hoffer, _German_ ... pasteurization introduced
by Julius Moldenhawar, _Dane_ ... orange that will stay on tree for
months after ripening propagated by Lue Gim Gong, _Chinese_ ... honey
industry revolutionized by Frank Jaeger, _Yugoslav_.
Early cooperative creamery at Clark’s Grove, Minn., organized under
leadership of Hans Jensen, _Dane_ ... first to find trichina spiralis in
hogs and hookworm in cats was Joseph Leidy, _German_ ... International
Institute of Agriculture established by David Lubin, _Polish-Jew_.