Gustavo Uzielli (May 29, 1839 in

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

– March 7, 1911) was an Italian

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, and scientist.

Biography

Gustavo Uzielli was born in 1839 in Livorno (

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

) within a wealthy family of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

origin. He made his studies at

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

where he obtained his baccalaureate of science. Later he studied at the universities of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and Pisa, where he graduated and became a doctor of mathematics and physics. He took part in several campaigns undertaken in favor of the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...

first as a soldier in 1859, and then in 1860 with

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

until 1866. At the end of the war he received a gold medal as a result of their military value in the

Battle of Volturno The Battle of the Volturnus, also known as the Battle of Casilinum or Battle of Capua, was fought in 554 between an army of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire and a combined force of Franks and Alemanni. The Byzantines, led by the old eunuch ...

. Was admitted in 1867 to the Florence

Italian Geographical Society Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

. He then worked as an assistant in

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

to Royal University of Rome. In 1869 the astronomer Giambattista Donati extended the workshop Galileo which he ran, contributing to the invention of new tools of physics and topography. Performed interesting studies on the history of geography, the globes and charts. Of particular importance are studies relating to travel by Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli and Amerigo Vespucci, who contributed to the work of Colombian Commission, created to celebrate the discovery of America in its fourth centenary. Many studies Uzielli were inspired by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

, as a scientist as well as a writer and artist. In 1872 he made a trip to Vinci, to get closer to the birthplace of the scientist, and together with his brothers Martelli, Frederick, Louis and Roberto, helped to give birth to the Museum Leonardo. Taught in 1877 in the Universitat de Modena Mineralogy and Geology in 1880 from the School of Application for engineers in Turin. Ceased its work of historical research, he devoted himself to the publication of numerous pamphlets and articles on various topics from geology to drinking water, inland navigation to the arrangement of mountain basins, communications stations in Livorno, La Spezia and Genoa, at issues in the city. Died in

Impruneta Impruneta is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany. The population is about 15,000. Name and production The name Impruneta is derived from ''inprunetis'' meaning "within the pine woods", and is ...

, May 7, 1911. The Via Gustavo Uzielli in Vinci is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzielli, Gustavo 1839 births 1911 deaths Livornese Jews Grand Duchy of Tuscany people 19th-century Italian geologists