Miklukho-Maclay - who is this? Despite the fame of this person, the issue is still relevant, and in many forums you can meet users who are looking for information about him. I must say, the biography of Miklouho-Maclay does not just tell the insipid story of a person’s life, but captures and does not let go until the last lines. No wonder this famous traveler often became a guest of the emperor's family, to whom he told interesting stories about the Papuans.
Biography of Miklukho-Maclay for children and adults
Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay was born in the small village of Yazykovo, which was located in the Novgorod province. Date of birth - June 17, 1846. The future traveler came from a noble family. Nikolai's father was a railway engineer, in connection with which the family often had to move from place to place. The biography of Miklouho-Maclay from an early age tells about his travels in the regions of Russia. In 1856, my father was appointed head of the construction of the Vyborg highway and, despite tuberculosis, set to work. Loads finallybroke the he alth of the head of the family, and he died at the age of 41.
The family had savings that were invested in stocks, so the children were not left without education. In addition, Nikolai's mother was engaged in drawing maps, which brought additional income. The biography of Miklukho-Maclay says that teachers who were invited to the house were engaged in his education. One of them even discovered the boy's ability to draw.
Biography of Miklukho-Maclay: gymnasium
In 1856, Nikolai, together with his brother Sergei, went to school, in the 3rd grade. However, very soon he persuaded his mother to transfer them to a state gymnasium. The boy did not shine with excellent studies, and often skipped classes altogether. Even in the 5th grade, he was transferred by a miracle. At the age of 15, he took part in a demonstration along with his comrades and his brother, for which he was imprisoned. The brothers were released a few days later, citing a mistake during their detention.
University
Miklukho-Maclay was in the gymnasium until 1863, after which he decided to enter the Academy of Arts, to which Nikolai's mother reacted negatively. As a result, he ended up as a volunteer at Moscow University at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. Nikolai studied diligently, paying special attention to the natural sciences.
A year later, Miklouho-Maclay was expelled from the university. The reason was a violation of the rules - Nikolai tried to escort his friend into the building. As the traveler himself later claimed, he was forbidden to study at any university in Russia.
Germany
AfterMisdemeanor, Nikolai had to look for a new place of study abroad. The choice fell on Germany, where institutions did not require education documents. The family was in a difficult financial situation, but the mother did her best, and in the spring of 1864, young Miklukho-Maclay went to Germany.
At Heidelberg University, the young man was involved in the outbreak of the uprising of the Poles. Nikolai took their side and even tried to learn the Polish language, which was opposed by his mother, who saw a talented engineer in her son. Already in the summer of next year, Miklouho-Maclay moved to Leipzig, where he began to study as a manager in agriculture and forestry. Here he spent the next 4 years of his life and moved to Jena, entered the Faculty of Medicine.
Canary Islands
In the spring of 1866, Miklouho-Maclay went on an expedition to Sicily, invited to which he was Haeckel, the supervisor. Her goal was to study the Mediterranean fauna. However, the expedition was almost thwarted due to the war. Travelers had to change their route, which now ran through England. By the way, there Nikolai Nikolayevich managed to communicate with Darwin himself. The end point was the island of Tenerife. Local residents were surprised by the guests, mistaking them for sorcerers. After that, the expedition reached Morocco, where Miklouho-Maclay stayed to watch the Berbers.
He returned to Jena only at the end of the spring of 1867. Continues to serve as an assistant to Haeckel and publishes his first scientific work, under which he signs as"Miklukho Maclay". The photo of the young traveler first appears in serious works. The following year was the final year for him at the Faculty of Medicine. Nikolai Nikolaevich begins to actively engage in scientific work.
Expeditions
Miklukho-Maclay made attempts to go on a polar expedition, but did not get into it. Therefore, he again arrived in Sicily, from where he got to the Red Sea and studied its fauna. Then there was a trip to Egypt and a lot of research work. In 1869, the traveler returns to his homeland, to Russia.
The first thing he did was to see his family, who then lived in Saratov. Then he took part in several scientific conferences and was included in the Geographical Society of Russia. Launched a project to study the Pacific Ocean, which was soon approved.
In the autumn of 1870 he began an expedition on the ship "Vityaz". Visited Brazil and some other places. By the autumn of 1871, he reached the coast of New Guinea, where the guests were met by a frightened local population. He settled in a small hut and began to make contact with the natives. At first they were wary of the researcher, but by 1872 they began to accept him as a friend. Neighborhood Miklukho-Maclay named after himself.
At the end of December, Nikolai Nikolaevich left the shores of New Guinea and went to Hong Kong, where he was waiting for the glory of the explorer. For some time he traveled around Batavia, and at the beginning of 1874 he decided to visit Guinea again. This time he stopped in Ambon and fought with the locals.slave traders.
For the third and last time the traveler will return to "his" island in 1883. By that time, many of his Aboriginal friends had already died, the cause of their death was various diseases.
Marriage and death
At the end of February 1884, Miklouho-Maclay married Margaret Clark, and in the fall they had a son. In 1886, the traveler returned to Russia, where he made plans to organize a colony on the shores of Guinea. However, the intentions of Nikolai Nikolaevich were destroyed by illness - cancer, as it turned out later. His he alth deteriorated seriously in 1887, and in early April 1888 the famous traveler died.