The Russian Federation is a great state, ranking first on the planet in terms of territory and size. national wealth. However, its main pride is made by outstanding citizens who left a noticeable mark in history. Our country has nurtured a huge number of famous scientists, politicians, generals, athletes and world famous artists. Their achievements allowed Russia to take one of the leading positions in the list of superpowers of the planet.
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Who are they, outstanding citizens of Russia? The list of them can be continued indefinitely, because each period in the history of our Fatherland has its own great people who have become famous in various fields of activity. Among the most prominent personalities who have, to one degree or another, influenced the course of both Russian and world history, the following are worth mentioning:
- Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky.
- Peter the Great.
- Alexander Suvorov.
- Mikhail Lomonosov.
- Dmitriy Mendeleev.
- Yuri Gagarin.
- Andrey Sakharov.
Minin and Pozharsky
The outstanding citizen of Russia Kuzma Minin and his equally famous contemporary Prince Dmitry Pozharsky went down in history as liberators of Russian lands from Polish invaders. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Time of Troubles began in the Russian state. The crisis, which embraced many spheres of life, was aggravated by the presence of impostors on the throne of the capital. In Moscow, Smolensk and a number of other cities, the Polish gentry was in full swing, and the western borders of the country were occupied by Swedish troops.
To expel foreign invaders from Russian lands and liberate the country, the clergy called on the population to create a militia and free the capital from the Poles. The Novgorod zemstvo elder Kuzma Minin (Sukhoruk), who, although not of noble origin, was a true patriot of his homeland, responded to the call. In a short time he managed to gather an army from the inhabitants of Nizhny Novgorod. Prince Dmitry Pozharsky of the Rurikovich clan agreed to head it.
Gradually, residents of the surrounding cities began to join the militia of Nizhny Novgorod, dissatisfied with the rule of the Polish gentry in Moscow. By the fall of 1612, the army of Minin and Pozharsky numbered about 10 thousand people. In early November 1612, the Nizhny Novgorod militia managed to expel the Poles from the capital and force them to sign an act of surrender. The successful operation was made possible thanks to the skillful actions of Minin and Pozharsky. In 1818, the memory of the heroic liberators of Moscow was immortalized by the sculptor I. Martos in the monument, which is installed on Red Square.
Peter the First
The importance of the reign of Peter I, nicknamed for his services to the Great State, is difficult to overestimate. Outstanding citizen of Russia Peter the Great was on the throne for 43 years, having come to power at the age of 17. He turned the country into the greatest empire, founded the city of Petersburg on the Neva and moved the capital from Moscow to it, conducted a number of successful military campaigns, which greatly expanded the borders of the state. Peter the Great began to trade with Europe, founded the Academy of Sciences, opened many educational institutions, introduced compulsory study of foreign languages, forced representatives of the noble classes to wear secular dresses.
The importance of the reign of Peter I for Russia
Reforms of the sovereign strengthened the economy and science, contributed to the development of the army and navy. His successful domestic and foreign policy became the basis for further growth and development of the state.Voltaire praised Russia's internal transformations in the time of Peter the Great. He wrote that for half a century Russian people managed to achieve what other nations could not achieve in 500 years of their existence.
A.V. Suvorov
The most prominent Russian citizen of the second half of the 18th century is, of course, the great commander, Generalissimo of the Russian land and naval forces, Alexander Suvorov. This talented military leader spent more than 60 major battles and was not defeated in any of them. The army under the command of Suvorov managed to win even in those cases when the enemy forces were significantly superior in numbers. The commander took part in the Russian-Turkish wars of 1768-1774 and 1787-1791, brilliantly commanded the Russian troops during the assault on Prague in 1794, and in the last years of his life led the Italian and Swiss campaigns.
In battles, Suvorov used the tactics of warfare he personally developed, which was far ahead of his time. He did not recognize the military drill and instilled in the soldiers a love of the Fatherland, considering it the key to victory in any battle. The legendary commander ensured that during the military campaigns his army was provided with everything necessary. He heroically shared all the hardships with the soldiers, thanks to which he enjoyed great authority and respect. For his victories, Suvorov was awarded all high military awards that existed in his time in the Russian Empire. In addition, he was a gentleman of seven foreign orders.
M.V. Lomonosov
Prominent citizens of Russia glorified their country not only in the art of government or tactics of warfare. Mikhail Lomonosov belongs to a cohort of the greatest Russian scientists who have made a huge contribution to the development of world science. Having been born in a poor family and not having the opportunity to receive a decent education, from early childhood he had a high intellect and was drawn to knowledge. The desire for science at Lomonosov was so strong that at the age of 19 he left his village, went on foot to Moscow and entered the Slavic-Greco-Roman Academy. This was followed by studies at St. Petersburg University at the Academy of Sciences. To improve knowledge in the natural sciences, Michael was sent to Europe. At 34, the young scientist became an academician.
Lomonosov, without exaggeration, can be considered a universal person. He possessed brilliant knowledge in chemistry, physics, geography, astronomy, geology, metallurgy, history, genealogy. In addition, the scientist was an excellent poet, writer and artist. Lomonosov made many discoveries in physics, chemistry and astronomy, became the founder of the science of glass. He owns the project for the creation of Moscow University, which was subsequently given his name.
D.I. Mendeleev
The world famous chemist Dmitry Mendeleev is the pride of Russia. Having been born in Tobolsk in the family of the director of the gymnasium, he had no obstacles to getting an education. At the age of 21, the young Mendeleev graduated with a gold medal from the Physics and Mathematics Department of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Institute. A few months later he defended his dissertation on the right to lecture and began teaching practice. At age 23, Mendeleev was awarded a master's degree in chemistry. From this age he begins to teach at the Imperial University of St. Petersburg. At 31, he became a professor of chemical technology, and after 2 years - a professor of general chemistry.
World glory of the great chemist
In 1869, at the age of 35, Dmitry Mendeleev made a discovery that made him famous all over the world. This is a periodic table of chemical elements. She became the basis for all modern chemistry. Attempts to systematize elements by properties and atomic weight were made before Mendeleev, but he was the first to clearly articulate the regularity between them.
The periodic table is not the only achievement of a scientist. He wrote many fundamental works on chemistry and initiated the creation of the Chamber of Weights and Measures in St. Petersburg. D. I. Mendeleev was a holder of eight honorary orders of the Russian Empire and foreign countries. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Turin Academy of Sciences, Oxford, Cambridge, Princes, Edinburgh and Gottingen Universities. Mendeleev’s scientific authority was so high that he was put forward three times to receive the Nobel Prize. Unfortunately, the winners of this prestigious international award each time became other scientists. However, this fact does not in the least reduce the merits of the illustrious chemist to the Fatherland.
Yu. A. Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin is an outstanding citizen of Russia of the Soviet era. On April 12, 1961, on the Vostok-1 spaceship, he made the first flight into space for the first time in the history of mankind. Having stayed in Earth’s orbit for 108 minutes, the astronaut returned to the planet as a hero of international proportions. Gagarin's popularity could be envied even by world movie stars. With official visits, he visited more than 30 foreign countries and traveled all over the USSR.
An outstanding citizen of Russia Yuri Gagarin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the highest distinctions of many countries. He was preparing for a new space flight, but the plane crash that happened in March 1968 in the Vladimir region tragically cut short his life. Having lived only 34 years, Gagarin became one of the greatest people of the 20th century. Streets and squares in all major cities of Russia and the CIS countries are named after him; monuments to him are erected in many foreign countries. In honor of the flight of Yuri Gagarin on April 12, the whole world celebrates International Cosmonautics Day.
A. D. Sakharov
In addition to Gagarin, there were many other prominent citizens of Russia in the Soviet Union. The USSR became famous all over the world thanks to academician Andrei Sakharov, who made an invaluable contribution to the development of physics. In 1949, together with Yu. Khariton, he developed the project of a hydrogen bomb - the first Soviet thermonuclear weapon. In addition, Sakharov conducted a lot of research on magnetic hydrodynamics, gravity, astrophysics, plasma physics. In the mid-70s, he predicted the advent of the Internet. In 1975, the academician was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In addition to science, Sakharov was engaged in active human rights activities, for which he fell out of favor with the Soviet leadership. In 1980, he was stripped of all ranks and top honors, after which he was deported from Moscow to Gorky. After the beginning of Perestroika, Sakharov was allowed to return to the capital. The last years of his life, he continued to engage in scientific activities, and was also elected to the Supreme Council. In 1989, the scientist worked on a draft of the new Soviet constitution, proclaiming the right of peoples to statehood, but a sudden death did not allow him to complete the work begun.
Prominent citizens of Russia of the 21st century
Today, a huge number of people live in our country, glorifying it in politics, science, art and other fields of activity. The most famous scientists of our time are physicists Mikhail Allenov and Valery Rachkov, urbanist Denis Vizgalov, historian Vyacheslav Vorobyov, economist Nadezhda Kosaryova, etc. The outstanding artists of the 21st century include the artists Ilya Glazunov and Alyona Azernaya, conductors Valeriy Gerierie and Bash Gergiev opera singers Dmitry Hvorostovsky and Anna Netrebko, actors Sergei Bezrukov and Konstantin Khabensky, directors Nikita Mikhalkov and Timur Bekmambetov and others. Well, the most prominent politician in Russia today is considered its President - Vladimir Putin.
