Karol Olszewski’s 100th anniversary of death and his contribution to cryogenics (in Polish)

Abstract

The article briefly presents the scientific achievements of Karol Olszewski (1846– 1915), who was born when Poland did not exist on the map of Europe and Polish science was developed mainly in Krakow, Lviv and at some European Universities. In 1883 Karol Olszewski and Zygmunt Wróblewski were the first in the world to liquefy oxygen, nitrogen and carbon oxide from the atmosphere in a stable state. In 1884 Olszewski was also the first person who liquefied hydrogen in a dynamic state, achieving a record low temperature of 225 °C (48 K). In 1895 he succeeded in liquefying argon. In January 1896 Olszewski replicated the Roentgen’s set‑up for obtaining X‑rays and successfully obtained this newly‑ discovered radiation for the first time in Krakow, initiating the foundation of the university’s department of radiology. Olszewski died on 25 March 1915. In March 2015 the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University organized a special celebration to commemorate the life and achievements of Karol Olszewski.