It is known that the development of science and technology at all times (we will not take the Middle Ages, although even then they invented something) is subject to the law of progress, that is, it moves only forward. New, more complex and sophisticated machines and household appliances are being created, discoveries are being made.
It would seem that there is no way back, because once discovered you cannot close it again? But some people think differently - those for whom this or that invention is in the throat is disadvantageous or disagreeable. They stop at nothing! Today we want to tell you about some of these "closers".
Closer visit
Stanislav Lem has a humorous play "Professor Tarantoga's office hours". This Lem character is an outstanding scientist, and a wide variety of pseudoscientific eccentrics come to him for support, and not only them. And then one of the visitors says to the professor: “I am not an inventor or a discoverer. I am an anti-opener, in other words, a closer. A deep analysis of world history in its entirety has led me to the conclusion that humanity no longer needs any discoveries. On the contrary, it suffers from their excess. And I decided to help humanity. How? By closing especially harmful discoveries."
A harmless literary joke? In this case, yes. But in the real history of mankind, there were enough "shutters" Moreover, they are far from harmless pranksters.
Weapon selection
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World War I. German scientists developed methods of using liquid oxygen as explosives. But the use of the results of their work was extremely unprofitable for the largest chemical concern “I. G. Farben ", which produced" traditional "explosives. The success of the oxygen program would put his profits at risk. What happened then?
The "Council of the Gods" was urgently convened (this is how the concern's governing body was ironically called). Without thinking twice, he made a decision: some of the scientists involved in this program should be bribed to slow down research. Also bribe the press to print only reports of project failures. And as a radical measure, it was supposed to hire saboteurs and destroy the oxygen pipelines. Judging by the fact that the oxygen project never left the initial stage, the tactics of the "Council of the Gods" proved to be successful.
"Swedish match" (almost according to Chekhov)
From time immemorial, people have been making fire, in essence, in the same way, with minor variations: flint, chisel, one or another forerunner of the modern lighter. This method had many disadvantages; it is very inconvenient and cumbersome. And now matches are invented. How much better? Fast, easy and convenient. But they also had a flaw, and a very serious one. Each match can only be lit once, after which it must be thrown away. Okay, back in the city, where you can immediately buy another box. But, say, on an expedition, in the field? Remember the one and only match of the heroes of Jules Verne, who ended up on a desert island …
So is it possible to get around this "match flaw"? This was pondered in 1928 by the German chemist Ferdinand Ringer. Thought and … invented a match that could be lit up to 1000 times! The inventor began to release his brainchild.
But it was not there. On the way of Ringer's beginnings stood the largest Swedish trust headed by the "king of matches" Ivar Kruger, the then world monopoly in this business. It was clear that such competition would ruin this Kruger clean up! Kruger decided to buy Ringer's invention, as they say, in the bud and "close" it.
However, Ringer was not so simple. He turned down all purchase offers, set up a factory and started production. Kruger was furious. First, he ordered to rob the inventor and steal the secret. It didn't work out. Then bribery of Ringer's employees and even his family members was used. Past again. Finally, several attempts were made on the inventor's life in a row. Unable to withstand the pressure, Ringer gave up. His factory decayed and in 1937 ceased to exist.
But what about the secret itself? Where is the "eternal" match now? Alas, no one knows this. It is hardly profitable for interested firms today. Go to the kitchen and shake the box of matches. How many times will each of them light up? That's it.
The collapse of Operation Monastral
History almost repeated itself, only this time the scene is America, and the time is the 1930s. American chemists have created a new substance, which they called "monastral". This semi-finished product was suitable for the production of a wide variety of paints and varnishes. It was also almost ideal for dyeing fabrics. Jeans dyed with Mona-strale were simply doomed to become super-fashionable - strength, color fastness, reliability, beauty.
But, as in the case of Ringer, the monopolists intervened. This time - the DuPont concern, which produced traditional dyes. He didn't waste time on trifles. Heavy artillery was launched immediately. It was decided to hire performers to add to the market lots of the monaster of substances that would spoil the fabric when bleaching or heating. But even this was not enough for Dupont. The second trick is to mix in toxic chemicals that irritate the skin. This is what the minutes of the historic board meeting literally said: “Caustic substances, resins and solvents corrode the skin and cause rashes. It would be advisable to use such mixtures in combination with CPC dye (the official name of Monastral), the tissues will irritate the skin."
Many years have passed since that "legendary" time. And we still don’t wear nice and comfortable jeans and shirts painted with Monastral …
Gasoline scam
During the Second World War, the Portuguese engineer Vincent Amat invented a plant for producing synthetic gasoline from brown coal. At first, his gasoline was not in demand - it was much more expensive than usual. But the war was coming to an end, and amata synthetic gasoline became the richest source of profit in the context of the associated sharp crisis. The inventor himself got rich, but … not for long.
The war is over. Two years passed, and the "shutters" went on the attack. They secured that Amata was brought to trial and imprisoned for "fraud", "fake invention" for 18 years. It's just that the engineer's former companions were eager to take possession of his discovery only for themselves …
But Amat turned out to be, as they say, not a timid dozen. He managed to find an approach to the director of the prison and with his help (in the same place, in the dungeons!), He built another installation for the production of synthetic gasoline. Simpler, more primitive, but it worked! And soon Amat began to supply synthetic fuel to other prisons. Here is an example of true enterprise and spirit, worthy of emulation! The case, of course, was reviewed. After seven years in prison, the engineer was released. This time the invention could not be “closed”.
There will be no disaster, but …
These were, as they say, still flowers. But what happened in the early 1960s on the outskirts of Strasbourg called Königshofen is, perhaps, too much for the "shutters". But let's talk about everything in order.
As a result of the police operation, two West German representatives of the French company Brunner & Confran Motor Oil were arrested. The accusations sounded menacing - industrial espionage, sabotage, attempted sabotage. Who were these people and why were such serious charges brought against them?
The fact is that at one of the company's enterprises an electric furnace was designed, which at that time was considered the last word in technology, a super novelty. This greatly disturbed the West German manufacturers of electric ovens, who until then had not known grief.
Well, we found out, but did not lose heart. The actions were carried out downright, without exaggeration, military. A sabotage group was created with the task of preventing the release of a new furnace at any cost. Having infiltrated the enterprise, the saboteurs (you can call them that) tried to steal the blueprints, spoil the equipment, causing a high Farben percentage of defects … But the results of this activity all seemed to them somehow insignificant, not meeting the requirements of the employers.
Then two of this group - Franz Richter and Heinrich Koller - decided no less … to blow up the plant along with all the personnel. Only the heroic efforts of the police prevented the monstrous crime. As reported in a police statement to the press, if the plan of the criminals was successfully implemented, the plant and most of Königshofen would be buried under the ruins.
Never say never"
As you can see, it is possible to slow down progress, and even very successfully. And no one can guarantee that this does not happen in our time. On the contrary, there is ample evidence to the contrary, from the search for a cure for AIDS torpedoed by medical charts receiving astronomical research grants to environmentally friendly automobile engines that are not beneficial to oil corporations. But that is another story.
Andrey BYSTROV
"Secrets of the XX century" March 2013
