Hippolyte Fontaine (born François-Hypolite Fontaine, 12 April 1833 in

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

– 17 February 1910 in

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The old town lies from the sea clustered arou ...

) was a French electrical engineer who worked with

Zénobe Gramme Zénobe Théophile Gramme (4 April 1826 – 20 January 1901) was a Belgian electrical engineer. He was born at Jehay-Bodegnée on 4 April 1826, the sixth child of Mathieu-Joseph Gramme, and died at Bois-Colombes on 20 January 1901. He invented ...

on the development of the

Gramme machine A Gramme machine, Gramme ring, Gramme magneto, or Gramme dynamo is an electrical generator that produces direct current, named for its Belgian inventor, Zénobe Gramme, and was built as either a dynamo or a magneto. It was the first generator to p ...

(the first industrially viable

electrical generator In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motive power (mechanical energy) or fuel-based power ( chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include steam turbines, g ...

), and whose contributions were essential to the creation of the

dynamo "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundati ...

. He was the first to transmit electricity via

electrical wire Electrical wiring is an electrical installation of cabling and associated devices such as switches, distribution boards, sockets, and light fittings in a structure. Wiring is subject to safety standards for design and installation. Allowable ...

s. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, Fontaine managed the production of

cannons A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder dur ...

in Paris. Colleagues he met in this position recommended him to Zenobe Gramme, and in 1871, Fontaine was hired to administer the newly established Société des Machines magnéto-électriques Gramme, a corporation dedicated to the development of the Gramme machine. In this role, he accompanied Gramme to the

Weltausstellung 1873 Wien The 1873 Vienna World's Fair (german: Weltausstellung 1873 Wien) was the large world exposition that was held in 1873 in the Austria-Hungary, Austria-Hungarian capital Vienna. Its motto was "Culture and Education" (). History As well as being a c ...

, where he demonstrated the reversibility of the electrical generator and the transmission of electricity over a two-kilometre distance via copper wiring. In 1881, he helped organize the Exposition internationale d'Électricité in Paris, which hosted the first international congress of electricians; in response, the French government inducted him into the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. He is buried in Cimetière du Montparnasse.

References

External links

Lycée Hippolyte Fontaine
in Dijon {{DEFAULTSORT:Fontaine, Hippolyte 1833 births 1910 deaths Engineers from Dijon Arts et Métiers ParisTech alumni Officiers of the Légion d'honneur French electrical engineers