When we talk of great scientists and pioneers, names like Einstein, Watt, Volta, Maxwell, Newton, Bohr, Feynman, and Gell-Mann often come up. But one name that is so often neglected by people is Jagadish Chandra Bose. You may not know his name, but you definitely know his achievements. This man deserves to sit in the Hall of Fame for Science alongside Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Richard Feynman. His impact is equivalent to that of the great Claude Shannon. This is the story of the first modern Indian scientist.
Sir Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose was born in Munshiganj, Bangladesh in what was then the British colony of India. He went to vernacular school to learn the Indian language before he learnt English because his father believed one must his own mother-tongue before learning English.
He then went on to attend Hare School and then St. Xavier's School at Kolkata (sometimes referred to as Calcutta). He then attended Christ's College in Cambridge. He received a BA from the University of Cambridge, a BSc from the University College London, and a DSc from the University College London.
Noted theoretical physicist James Clark Maxwell mathematically predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths. German physicist Heinrich Hertz verified the math. Oliver Lodge then gave a lecture on this to the public. Lodge's lecture caught the public eye, including that of Jagadish Chandra Bose. Bose arguably discovered wireless transmission. In a demonstration with no wires, he pressed a button in one room which fired a gun in the next room. Jagadish Chandra Bose had discovered wireless communication. Bose also discovered the semiconductor crystal in an experiment with current. He found that a certain crystal let electricity flow one way through the circuit, but not the other way around. This kind of crystal is called a semiconductor. It was very useful, as it could be used to regulate current direction. Every modern electronic device has a semiconductor in it.
Bose was also very interested in the behavior of plants. He proved conclusively that plants do indeed react to affection and aggression, and was the first to claim that plants have a consciousness(this was later proved in various experiments after his death). He studied the tendency of light to move towards plants and their reaction to various stimuli such as electricity, needles, and chemicals. AND, all of his equipment was created by him and created with only the help of a local blacksmith with no experience in science. His accomplishments truly establish him as an outstanding genius.
We should give Mr. Bose much more acclaim than we do now. He basically created the modern world with his pioneering work in wireless transmission, biology, and semiconductors. He even wrote a science fiction novel at one point. This author and scientist deserves more recognition. So, like with Claude Shannon, spread the word of his story so that the world can give him the credit he deserves.
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