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Bernhard Schmidt

Bernhard Schmidt, Estonian-German astronomer and optician (died 1935)

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Born
April 11, 1879
Died
December 1, 1935
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1879

About Bernhard Schmidt

Bernhard Woldemar Schmidt was an Estonian optician. In 1930 he invented the Schmidt telescope, which corrected for the optical errors of spherical aberration, coma, and astigmatism, making possible for the first time the construction of very large, wide-angled reflective cameras of short exposure time for astronomical research. Bernhard Woldemar Schmidt (11 April 1879, Nargen, Estonia – 1 December 1935, Hamburg) was an Estonian optician. The inhabitants of this island, mainly Estonian Swedes, generally spoke Swedish or Estonian, but the Schmidt family also spoke German.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Bernhard Schmidt timeline

  1. Bernhard Woldemar Schmidt (11 April 1879, Nargen, Estonia – 1 December 1935, Hamburg) was an Estonian optician.
  2. In 1930 he invented the Schmidt telescope, which corrected for the optical errors of spherical aberration, coma, and astigmatism, making possible for the first time the construction of very large, wide-angled reflective cameras of short exposure time for astronomical research.

The world when Bernhard Schmidt was born

Bernhard Schmidt was born in 1879. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Headlines and milestones

  • Top headlineThomas Edison demonstrates practical incandescent light bulb
  • Technology milestoneEdison's light bulb — practical electric lighting
  • Notable inventionSaccharin (artificial sweetener) discovered
  • World population~1.39 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRutherford B. Hayes
  • U.S. population45.9M

1879 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Bernhard Schmidt's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18792026
Population45.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

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