Ruđer Josip Bošković, one of the greatest and most famous Croatian philosophers and scientists (1711-1787), was born in Dubrovnik.
Ruđer Josip Bošković, one of the greatest and most famous Croatian philosophers and scientists (1711-1787), was born in Dubrovnik, where he was educated at the Jesuit Collegium. He was a member of the Royal Society of London, the St. Petersburg Academy and Accademia dell'Arcadia, a corresponding member of the French Royal Academy of Sciences and a professor at many European universities.
The highly delicate task of repairing cracks in the cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican was entrusted to R. Bošković, confirmation that he was regarded as a leading European authority in static computations and civil engineering. At the request of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, Bošković solved the problem of the stability of the Royal Library (now the National Library) in Vienna. He was also the founder of the Brera Astronomical Observatory near Milan. Bošković’s theory of forces anticipated modern physics by almost two centuries.
Source: http://rb300.irb.hr - Webpages of the International Scientific Symposium "From Ruđer Bošković to Today: Contribution of Croatian Scientists to the World Scientific Heritage"
