National Museum of American History
Magdeburg Hemispheres
Fortin et Herrmann · 1830
Otto Von Guericke (1602-1686), the scientifically-minded mayor of Magdeburg, demonstrated the effects of a vacuum and of atmospheric pressure by joining one hollow hemisphere with another, evacuating the air between the two, and showing how hard it then was to pull the two apart. In time, Magdeburg hemispheres became popular pieces of scientific apparatus. This example was purchased from Fortin & Herrmann in Paris, in 1830, for use at the U.S. Military Academy.
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