Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1951-01-11
Denmark
Who's Who In Denmark

w ITO > WHO LII DeIlIIldTk
Roemer, Ole (1644-171O). Natur-
al scientist. Grew up in a well-to-
do home, showing a marked inter-
est for the art of navigation and
mathematics. In 1872 he was called
to Paris by the French Govern
ment to collaborate in the work of.
publishing the observations of
Tycho Brahe. While in France he
took part in the construction Of
the great fountains at Versailles
and was thereby led to take up the
study of tie laws governing the
current of liquids in tubes. He par
ticipated in French survey work,
and by studying the problem of
the movement of the first Jupiter
moon became aware of certain ir-
Irregularities in the calculations
made, which could be explained
only by assuming that the light re-
quires time for traversing space
and ne now calculated and de-
termined the velocity of light. Dur
ing a sojourn in London, in 1879
where among others, he met New
ton, he was coagent in determin-
ing the length of the second-pen-
dulum.
After his return to Denmark
Roemer was appointed Professor
of Astronomy at the University,
and at the same time acted as
technical assistant in a variety of
activities within the Mint, harbor
construction, ship building, t h e
Standardization of weights and
measures and many other things.
Boring, Vitus Jonassen, explorer
(16S1-1741)b. at Horsens Out
land). Went to sea as boy, joined
the Russian navy as sub-lieuten
ant in 1903 and was soon promot-
ed. Car Peter the Great wanted
to explore the far eastern areas of
the vast Russian empire, and
started an expedition of 33 men
headed by Boring with Morten
Spangberg, another Dane, second
in command. At Okbotsk a schoon
er was built with which the coast
of Kamchatka was explored. In
1928 the expedition struck north
in a newly built ship, and st.
Lawrence Island and Diomede Is
land were discovered, and the ex-
petition ascertained that Asia and
America are not contiguous, but
separated by the sound now known
as the Bering Strait. The expedi-
ton came home in 1870, but its
result did not conform to t h
legends handed down and We're
questioned. Bering therefore plan
ned a new expedition on grand
scale: Mapping of the north coast
of Siberia from Archangel to ia
pan. and the American east coast
to Mexico, and a historical, geo.
graphical investigation of the en-
tire Northern Asia-'The Great
Northern Expedition" comprising
about $50 members. left in 1873.
The Siberian Investigations could
not be completed. because I h
leader, the Dane Peter Lassenius.
persisted with all his men; but
Spangberg succeeded in mapping
coastal regions of Northeast Asia
and he also visited the Kurilles and
Japan. Boring and lieutenant-cap
tain Chirikov mapped Alaska
COAST the Aleutians and observed
Mount St Elias. Scurvy among the
crew and storms prevented com
plete realization of the plans, and
Boring died of scurvy on the island
which now bears his name
Hoiberg. Ludwig (l684 1854,
Poet and philosopher Born in Ber-
gen Norway. where the father
was an army officer. Studied di-
vinity. Made long journeys abroad
TO see and learn; familiarized him
self with the modern literature Of
his day and with the problems
that were being discussed abroad
in Europe. During his sojourns in
Copenhagen, in between his trav-
els, he wrote, among other things.
can Introduction to the History of
the Countries of Europe" without
revealing. however, any signs of