Milan G. Nedeljković (

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was ...

, 9 September 1857 - Belgrade,

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, 21 February 1950) was the first modern professor of

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

at the ''

Grandes écoles Grandes may refer to: * Agustín Muñoz Grandes, Spanish general and politician *Banksia ser. Grandes, a series of plant species native to Australia * Grandes y San Martín, a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain ...

'', and the founder and first director of the Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory in Belgrade.

Biography

He was born in ''Kraljice Natalije'', then ''Abadžijska Street'' in Belgrade, as the first of eight children (Milan, Đorđe, Nikola, Emilian, Vojislav, Ljubomir, Kosara and Spasenija) of the wealthy ''abadžija'' (tailor) Gligorije Nedeljković and mother Aleksandra. He finished the first men's high school as a student of the generation. At the '' Velika škola'', at the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, he graduated with great success and an award for his work in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

. At the college, he was immediately accepted as a trainee lecturer in physics and mathematics. However, at the suggestion of

Josif Pančić Josif Pančić ( sr-cyr, Јосиф Панчић; April 17, 1814 – February 25, 1888) was a Serbian botanist, a doctor of medicine, a lecturer at the Great School (the future University of Belgrade), and the first president of the Serbian Royal ...

, he received a scholarship to continue his education in

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 ...

. He enrolled in mathematics at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

and studied physics part-time at the ''

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment (''grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris ne ...

''. After five years of study in Paris, he returned to Belgrade with degrees in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

precision mechanics Precision mechanics (also "fine mechanics") is an engineering discipline that deals with the design and construction of smaller precision machines, often including measuring and control mechanisms of different kinds. The study may be further defin ...

and

seismology Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...

. At the ''Velika škola'', he then opened the Department of Astronomy and Meteorology and immediately asked the Government of the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

to enable him to build an

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

that would be the central meteorological station. In 1887, he founded the Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory in Belgrade, where he performed the first seismological and geomagnetic measurements in Serbia at the beginning of the 20th century. He was the manager of the observatory until his retirement in 1924. A significant work of Milan Nedeljković after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in which the Serbian people suffered severely, is the purchase of astronomical, meteorological and other geophysical instruments and accessories from which the Astronomical Observatory in Veliki

Vračar Vračar ( sr-Cyrl, Врачар, ) is an affluent urban area and municipality of the city of Belgrade known as the location of many embassies and museums. According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 56,333 inhabitants ...

was made, which began operating in 1932. The telescopes were procured in 1922 and delivered from

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...

to Belgrade as war (World War I) reparations from Germany. The wealthy and educated wife of Tomani (1866-1959) was of great help to Milan Nedeljković in astronomical and meteorological work all the time. All their lives, they set aside personal funds for these sciences.

References

*Eclipse of the oldest Serbian telescope ("Politika", August 30, 2012), Accessed April 12, 2013.

Literature

*http://www.planeta.rs/24/12jubileji.htm - 150 years since the birth of Milan Nedeljković., Retrieved April 9, 2009. *http://astro.matf.bg.ac.rs/sem001.htm - History of procurement of instruments for the astronomical observatory., Accessed on February 14, 2009. *(language: English) V. Trajkovska, M. S. Dimitrijević. (2000). "Life and works of Milan Nedeljković (1857-1950)" (PDF). Serbian Astronomical Journal. 162: 135—150. Retrieved April 9, 2009. Check parameter value (s) for date: , access-date = (help)

External links

*Seismological work of the Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory in Belgrade, Milan Jeličić, 2010. *"Milan Nedeljković's Reparation Agreements", Milan Radovanac. 2011. *"Milan Nedeljković and his care for commissioned astronomical instruments", Milan Radovanac, 2011. *Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory in Belgrade and its work until the end of the First World War, Milan Jeličić, 2012 *Meteorologists "under the rule" of the king (''Večernje novosti'', 13 February 2014) *History of Science: Milan Nedeljković, RTS Educational-Scientific Channel, Official Channel on YouTube

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nedeljković, Milan 1857 births 1950 deaths Serbian astronomers Serbian meteorologists

Biography

See also

References

Literature

External links

References