Biography of Marian Smoluchowski

Marian Smoluchowski — a famous Polish physicist

Chronological Table of Marian Smoluchowski's Life

• 1872 May 28, born in Vorderbrühl a suburb of Vienna, Austria, as the fourth child of Wilhelm Smoluchowski and Teofila Szczepanowska (other children: son Jan, born and died 1867; son Tadeusz 1868-1936; daughter Joanna, dates unknown; daughter „Tyncia” 1874?-1879).
• 1880-1890 Attended Collegium Theresianum in Vienna, a secondary school for the education of higher officials.
• 1890 Theresianum certificate with distinction.
• 1890-1894 Study of physics at Vienna University under Joseph Stefan and Franz Exner.
• 1894/95 Military service. 1895 Ph.D. in physics at Vienna University (the highest prize „sub auspiciis imperatoris”).
• 1895 Nov.-1896 July, research in Paris at the laboratory of Gabriel Lippman, Sorbonne.
• 1896 Sept.-1897 April, research in Glasgow at the laboratory of Lord Kelvin (William Thomson).
• 1897 May-August, research in Berlin at the laboratory of Emil Warburg.
• 1898 Obtained „veniam legendi” („Privatdozent”) at Vienna University.
• 1899 May, invited to lecture as „Privatdozent” at Lwów University.
• 1900 Associate („extraordinary”) professor of theoretical physics at Lwów University.
• 1900 July, lecture at the 9th Congress of Polish Physicians (medical doctors) and Natural Scientists in Kraków.
• 1901 June 1, married Zofia Baraniecka (daughter Aldona, born 1902, died 1984, and son Roman, born 1910).
• 1901 Doctor honoris causa of law (LLD) at the Glasgow University (according to the English tradition honorary doctorate is given in a different field than that of the person thus honored).
• 1903 full („ordinary”) professor of theoretical physics at Lwów University.
• 1905 August-1906 April, research in Cambridge, England, at cavendish Laboratory with J.J.Thomson.
• 1906/07 Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Lwów University.
• 1906-1907 President of the Copernicus Society of Natural Scientists in Lwów.
• 1907, July lecture at the 10th Congress of Polish Physicians and Natural Scientists in Lwów.
• 1908 Corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences and Letters in Kraków.
• 1908 Haitnger's prize of the Vienna Academy of Sciences for the theoretical explanation of the Brownian motion.
• 1910 Lecture at the Second International Congress of Cold in Vienna.
• 1911 July, lecture at the 11th Congress of Polish Physicians and Natural Scientists in Kraków.
• 1911-1912 President of the Tourist Section of the Polish Tatra Society.
• 1912 August, lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Cambridge, England.
• 1912 Lecture at the 84th Conference of Natural Scientists in Münster, Germany.
• 1912 Lecture at the Scientific-Literary Union in Lwów.
• 1913 April, lecture in Göttingen at the invitation of the Wolfskehl Foundation.
• 1913 May, full professor of experimental physics at the Jagellonian University, Kraków.
• 1915 Mobilized into the army for several months.
• 1916 June, lecture series in Göttingen at the invitation of the Wolfskehl Foundation.
• 1916/17 Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at Jagellonian University.
• 1916 November, as a distinguished alpinist awarded „Silber Edelweiss” by the German and Austrian Alpine Society.
• 1917 Full member of the Academy of Sciences and Letters in Kraków.
• 1917 May, lecture at the Conference of the Society of High School Teachers in Kraków.
• 1917 June 15, elected rector of the Jagellonian University.
• 1917 September 5, died in Kraków.

Compiled by Alojzy Burnicki.