When was cornelius drebbel born

Pigskin bladders connected to pipes leading out of the cabin controlled depth; to dive the bladders were filled with water by releasing a rope that controlled the opening and closing of the pipes. In order to surface, the rowers squeezed all the water out of the bladders and tied them off with rope again.

This enabled the submarine to safely dive to depths of 4 to 5 metres. The vessel was steered by a rudder, and powered by four oars which were fed into the water through leather seals.

Air tubes led from the cabin to the waters surface and were kept in place by the use of floats — submarine was able to be underwater for several hours at a time.

However, the submarine appears to have been well ahead of its time and was not of any interest to the English Royal Navy. Consequently he invited Drebbel to England in While at court, Drebbel demonstrated a number of his inventions. He was most famed for his perpetual motion machine, which told the time, date, and season, and was mounted in a globe on pillars.

Turbulent imperial politics saw him arrested on both occasions and it was only royal interventions from England that ensured his release. It was at around this time that Drebbel started making his submarine, which was probably based on a rowing boat with raised and meeting sides, covered in greased leather, with a watertight hatch in the middle, a rudder and four oars. Under the rowers' seats were large pigskin bladders, connected by pipes to the outside. Rope was used to tie off the empty bladders;.

He also made telescopes, and he developed a machine for grinding lenses. He constructed a camera obscura with a lens in the aperture, and he had some sort of magic lantern that projected images.

The submarine. He built a submarine that could carry a number of people in s. There is much discussion about this; apparently it was a set of diving bells, and was thus open at the bottom. Chemical technology. His most important contribution was his discovery of a tin mordant for dyeing scarlet with cochineal. Jaeger argues that in fact Drebbel had no role in this; here I am not sure that I find his case convincing. Drebbel was involved in a project to drain the fens. Earlier he had taken a patent on a pump, and he had constructed fountains.

Harris, The Two Netherlanders, Cambridge, B8H3 F. Jaeger, Cornelis Drebbel en zijne tijdgenooten, Groningen, This is the fundamental book on Drebbel. It throws one big bucket of cold water over the legend. Gerrits, Grote nederlanders bij de opbouw der natuurwetenschappen, Leiden, Warm air flowed around it and out through a valve. He made control of that valve automatic.

His work with thermometers, chemicals, and chimneys all came together in a mercury device that held the temperature constant. He made the first thermostat. This was a time of warring dukes and barons, all fighting for control. Drebbel flew in the face of that. He invented the first modern device that gave human control away -- to a machine. Inventors poured them out during the great revolutions of the late s.

Suddenly we had fly-ball governors, float valves, and pressure regulators. Adam Smith gave us laissez-faire. He extended feedback control to economics. The greatest feedback control device of them all was the American Constitution, with its built-in checks and balances. It took control away from princes. It let us regulate ourselves. So Drebbel was far ahead of his time.