Johann BeckmannBorn 4 Jun 1739; died 3 Feb 1811 at age 71. German chemist and economist who established the science of agriculture. He published a prominent textbook (1769) which laid a scientific foundation for practical agriculture, involving natural history, mineralogy, physics, chemistry and mathematics. By 1769, he was using the word “technology,” which he coined for the science of trades. From an educational trip (1765-66), by inspecting factories, mines and foundries he had a good background in the manufacture of natural products and the mining of metals. He published the first advanced textbook (1777) with a systematic approach describing the processing of raw materials in different trades. With his influence, secondary schools introduced a technology curriculum. By researching primary sources, he was also a reliable historian of inventions.« |
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