
Sir Christopher Wren: A great architect
If you are a regular reader of the Junior Observer, you may remember
reading about St. Paul's Cathedral in London. You may even remember
reading that this great building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
Today, we will tell you more about this person, who was known as one of
the greatest architects and designers in the world.
Wren was born in 1632, as the son of the Dean of Windsor. He had a
privileged upbringing, and as his father was the king's chaplain, he
spent his time at Windsor Castle playing with the king's son, who was
later crowned as Charles II.

The boy's learning skills were evident from a young age. He was
educated at Westminster and Wadham College, Oxford, and became a Fellow
of All Souls College, where he was famous for mathematics and physics.
At Wadham, he experimented with opium so that it can be used by doctors
to perform lengthy surgeries. He also succeeded in transferring blood
from one dog to another with the use of a syringe.
Although he was more famous as an architect, his talents were not
confined to this. In fact, his career started elsewhere. Perfecting the
working barometer was his first contribution to the world.
Before turning 17, Wren had invented a machine that writes in the
dark, a pneumatic engine, a deaf and dumb language and a weather clock.
He also became Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College, London.
His interest in architecture may have been kindled after reading the
book 'On Architecture' by the famous Roman architect Vitruvius. It was
further boosted after his visit to the ruins of the Theatre of Marcellus
in Rome, in 1663, where he studied the plans of the original buildings.
He referred to these plans later, when he was asked to design a theatre
for Oxford College. His architectural career began in 1661 when Charles
II appointed him as assistant to the royal architect. He was named royal
architect in 1669, which position he held for 45 years.
Wren was responsible for the formation of the Royal Society of London
for Promoting Natural Knowledge in 1662, with other mathematicians,
scientists and scholars. His plans to rebuild London after the Great
Fire of 1666 were never implemented, but 52 churches based on these
designs were built between 1670 and 1711.
The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, the second largest dome in the
world, is his most famous creation. The cathedral took 35 years to build
and Wren was 66 at its completion. His other masterpieces include the
Royal Exchange, College of Physicians, Chelsea Hospital, Royal Naval
College, Custom House, Drury Lane Theatre and some buildings of the
Temple, London.
His designs, which still exist, exude elegance, order, clarity and
dignity. They are known for their unique designs and spires. Wren was
knighted in 1675. He died in 1723, and was the first to be buried at the
St. Paul's Cathedral.
Jane Goodall: The Chimpanzee Lady
You would have read a lot about chimpanzees in the Nature Trail pages
of the Junior Observer. Have you ever wondered how we came to know about
the behaviour of these creatures living in the wilds? Most of this
knowledge about man's closest relative is now at our fingertips, thanks
to Dr Jane Goodall, the famous primatologist, scientist, chimp
researcher and observer.

Jane Goodall was born on April 3, 1934 in London, and grew up in
Bournemouth on the southern coast of England. She was interested in
animals from a young age and her interest in primates may have been
aroused by the toy chimp, named Jubilee in honour of a baby chimp born
at the London Zoo, that she had got as a present, on her second
birthday. Her interest in wildlife was also rekindled by books such as
The Story of Dr Doolittle, Tarzan and The Jungle Book, and by the time
she was about 10 years old, she was dreaming of going to Africa, to live
with animals.
She got this opportunity when a school friend invited her to Kenya.
Encouraged by her mother, she made this trip by boat at the age of 23,
and was hired by the renowned paleontologist and anthropologist Dr Louis
Leakey, who was impressed with her knowledge about Africa and wildlife.
They went on a fossil-hunting expedition. Later, she started
exploring the possibility of studying chimpanzees at the Gombe Stream
Reserve on the bank of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania.
Her ground-breaking work with the primates of Gombe started in 1960,
where she observed and documented their social organisation. She noted
for the first time, that chimpanzees possessed tool-making skills, and
also, that they ate meat.
Goodall obtained a PhD in Ethnology (study of behavioral sciences)
from Cambridge University, went back to Tanzania and set up the Gombe
Stream Research Centre. She's known as the 'Einstein of behavioral
sciences' and is affectionately known as the 'Chimpanzee Lady'. She also
broke the accepted tradition at the time of giving numbers to scientific
subjects, by calling the chimps by various names.
Goodall as well as the Jane Goodall Institute set up by her have done
much towards the conservation of chimpanzees in the wilds, and providing
better conditions for them at zoos, labs and circuses. This institute,
founded in 1977, encourages people to make a difference in the lives of
animals by creating a healthy ecosystem, promoting sustainable
livelihoods and by nurturing a generation of committed citizens around
the world.
Among the many awards she has won are, the Encyclopaedia Britannica
Award, Japan's Kyoto Prize, Medal of Tanzania, National Geographic
Society's Hubbard Medal, Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and
Scientific Research 2003, Benjamin Franklin Award for Life Science and
Gandhi/King Award for Non-violence. She has written many books, while
many other works have been created on her life and work. She was also
named as a UN Messenger of Peace by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in
April 2002.
Dr Jane Goodall now continues her lecturing activities, sharing her
message of hope, and encouraging the young to make a difference in the
lives of all beings. |