Nikifor Alekseevich Begichev (Bigichev) (russian: Никифор Алексеевич Бегичев (Бигичев); February 7 ( N.S. February 19), 1874 – May 18, 1927) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

seaman and polar explorer. He was twice awarded gold medals by the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

Biography

Begichev was born in Tsariov,

Astrakhan Governorate The Astrakhan Governorate () was an Imperial, Republican, and Soviet Russian administrative division (), which existed from 1717 – 1929. Created from separating the southwestern part of the Kazan Governorate, by Peter I's Reform in 1717. And ...

, to a family of

Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...

fishers. In 1895, he was called up to the service in the Russian Navy and traveled three times as a sailor and a boatswain to the

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

islands. He was a participant in Baron Eduard Toll's 1900–1903 "Russian Polar Expedition" as the bosun of ship ''

Zarya Zarya may refer to: *Zorya, personification of dawn in Slavic mythology * Zarya (antenna), a type of medium-wave broadcasting antenna used in former Soviet Union *Zarya (ISS module) is a module of the International Space Station. * ''Zarya'' (magazi ...

''. After the death of Baron Toll, Begichev took part in the research. During this voyage, he saved the life of his commander - lieutenant Aleksandr Kolchak, a future admiral. Walking by the sea ice, Kolchak fell in the split. When Begichev pulled him from the water, the lieutenant showed no signs of life. Begichev took off his dry clothes and dressed Kolchak with them. Then, to re-animate him, Begichev fired his pipe and put it in Kolchak's mouth. Kolchak opened his eyes. Nikifor Begichev bust

Later, Begichev took part in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

. In 1922, at the request of the government of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, Begichev led an unsuccessful Soviet expedition to search for Peter Tessem and Paul Knutsen, lost crew members of the ship '' Maud'' from

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...

's 1918 expedition.William Barr, ''The Last Journey of Peter Tessem and Paul Knutsen'', 1919 Begichev was one of the researchers exploring the Taymyr Peninsula with

Nikolay Urvantsev Nikolay Nikolayevich Urvantsev (russian: Николáй Николáевич Урвáнцев; – 20 February 1985) was a Soviet geologist and explorer. He was born in the town of Lukoyanov in the Lukoyanovsky Uyezd of the Nizhny Novgorod Gove ...

in 1923–1924. During his explorations, he surveyed two islands, which have been called after him:

Bolshoy Begichev Island Bolshoy Begichev (russian: Большой Бегичев, translation= Big Begichev) is an island in the Laptev Sea, in the Sakha Republic, Russia. Geography The area of the island is . Bolshoy Begichev is located within the Khatanga Gulf (russia ...

and

Maliy Begichev Island Maly Begichev (russian: Малый Бегичев) is an island in the Laptev Sea, Russia. Its area is 15 km2. This small island (maximum length 5.4 km) is situated within the Khatanga Gulf (Russian: Хатангский залив). On ...

. Nikifor Begichev died during wintering at the mouth of the

Pyasina River The Pyasina (russian: Пясина) is a river in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. The river is long, and its basin covers . The Pyasina River originates in Lake Pyasino and flows into the Pyasino Gulf of the Kara Sea. There are more than 60,000&nbs ...

. In 1964, a monument to Begichev was erected in the settlement of Dikson.

Notes

References

William Barr William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney who served as the 77th and 85th United States attorney general in the administrations of Presidents George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump. Born and raised in New York City, Barr ...

, ''Baron Eduard von Toll's Last Expedition: The Russian Polar Expedition, 1900–1903'' *N. Bolotnikov. ''Nikifor Begichev'', Moscow-Leningrad 1949 {{DEFAULTSORT:Begichev, Nikifor 1874 births 1927 deaths Explorers of the Arctic Laptev Sea People from Astrakhan Governorate People from Leninsky District, Volgograd Oblast Recipients of the Cross of St. George Russian and Soviet polar explorers Russian explorers Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War