Google Celebrates Rudolf Stefan Weigl's 138th Birthday With A Doodle
The Google Doodle for today honors Rudolf Weigl, a Polish scientist. Among his notable contributions is the development of the Typhus vaccine. Not only that, but during World War II, he was also responsible for rescuing many Jewish lives in a Nazi concentration camp.
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| Google Celebrates Rudolf Stefan Weigl's 138th Birthday With A Doodle | image Credit: Google.com |
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl was born in the Czech Republic in 1883.
- He received a degree in biological sciences from Lwow University in Poland.
- He was considered for the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1942 and 1946 but did not win.
The doodle commemorates his 138th birthday and portrays him doing what he did best: developing life-saving medications in a lab.
Take a look.
Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl was born in 1883 in what is now the Czech Republic. In 1907, he graduated from Lwow University in Poland with a degree in biological sciences. Not only that, but he also holds doctorates in zoology, comparative anatomy, and histology.
During World War I, typhus wreaked devastation across Europe, killing millions in a matter of days. Weigl decided to take matters into his own hands and conduct his own investigation into the condition.
He discovered that it was like that were the source of the illness. To make the vaccine, he cultivated it in his lab and crushed their stomachs.
After several years of tweaking, large-scale testing of the vaccine began in 1933.
While his effort is admirable, his participation in rescuing about 5000 Jews from Nazi ghettos makes him a historical figure. When Nazi Germany learned about him, they commissioned Weigl to build a Typhus vaccine factory. In order to avoid deportation to the death camps, he employed many of his Jewish colleagues and acquaintances.
For developing the vaccination and humanitarian efforts, Rudolf Weigl was nominated for the Nobel Prize twice. However, owing to intervention both times, he did not become the beneficiary. In 1957, he took his last breath. For his efforts, Israel bestowed the title of 'Righteous Among the Nations' on him in 2003.
Rudolf Weigl's activities at this time saved an estimated 5,000 lives, thanks to both his direct efforts to safeguard his neighbors and the thousands of vaccine doses provided countrywide.
The effects of your relentless effort on the world are still felt today, from researching a small louse to saving millions of human lives—Happy Birthday, Rudolf Weigl!” Google published a statement on their website.
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