the scientific fact that sound travels better through the ground than the air, and that phenomenon would be one of the foundations of Mihajlo’s subsequent discoveries. Pupin officially began his schooling at the Serbian Church primary school in Idvor, then continued at the German primary school in the nearby Perlez. He com- pleted secondary school in Pančevo, and his excellent results led to him receiving a scholarship. He contin- ued his education in Prague, only to decide to head to America follow his father’s sudden death in 1874. He was just 20 years old, had only five cents in his pocket and knew that he was awaited by a long period of starving and struggling to survive. But he didn’t shy away from arduous physical work, while in parallel he learned lan- guages and studied. All of this later led to him entering the history books – Pupin’s coils, multiplex telegraphy, frequency multiplex, quartz oscillator, sonar etc., and secondarily X-ray imaging, which Pupin also discovered but didn’t patent. This renowned scientist was also a great benefactor, helping his own people, especially the youth, through the establishing of a large number of funds. “He also used his money with the aim of supporting the Serbian army in World War I, despite the opposition of his lawyers,” stresses Zakić. He bequeathed the People's House to Id- vor, with the idea of it serving to educate young people in the modernisation of agriculture, and through con- temporary media – radio and television. He never forgot the region of his birth, which he described in his autobiography From Immigrant to In- ventor, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1924. The book was later translated into Serbian, under the title Od pašnjaka do učenjaka [From Pastures to Scientist]. Those Idvor pastures no longer exist, as all fertile land is cultivated, while the cattle stay on the farms, under the surveillance of cameras and not herdsmen. And yet, the memory of Pupin doesn’t fade, but rath- er is renewed each year through the ‘October Meetings’ event. These gatherings are very formal and festive, as the great scientist’s endowment presents awards to the best school pupils and college students. Also serving to cherish the memory of him is the Mihajlo Pupin Memorial Complex, which comprises the house of his birth, the aforementioned endowment and a museum exhibition that reveals details of his scien- tific work through four distinct units. “The house pre- sents typical Banat life during the time when Pupin lived there, with countless original objects,” says Zakić. Every- day tools – for cooking, cleaning and ironing, but also for working in the garden and fields – are included in the museum’s ethno-collection. The Museum itself is locat- ed in the building of the old primary school, which was built in 1846 and has been a protected cultural monu- ment since 1979. Visitors can observe Pupin’s upbring- ing and development here, from a humble herdsman to a scientist of world renown who was also immortalised through his humanitarian action. Forming the central section of the complex is Pu-
pin’s endowment, the People's House that was built in an eclectic style. This edifice, which is practically a pal- ace, once housed a library, an electric generator, as well as a public address system for the whole of Idvor. “Tour- ists today start the tour route from there, after watching a documentary about Pupin,” notes Zakić. And despite Pupin’s greatness, Idvor is a very quaint village. It was shaped in Austro-Hungarian style, mean- ing the houses are arranged regularly in straight streets, with gates leading to spacious yards containing stables and barns. At the centre of the village is a church that dates back to 1803. Dedicated to the Annunciation, it is impressive thanks to the iconostasis that was the work of Steva Todorović, a celebrated master painter of the time. This Orthodox church is also significant because it was there that Pupin was baptised, just ten or so days after his birth. Idvor is given special charm by the river Tamiš, where locals swim, row, fish or sunbathe on landscaped beach- es during the summer. August is the month that sees the staging of the annual watermelon festival, Bostani- jada, which includes a competition in rolling watermel- ons for the youngest. Also nearby is the village of Kovači- ca, where you can admire the enviable influence of the school of naïve painting. There are all sorts of things in Idvor, but locals believe that there’s still one thing miss- ing. They await the implementation of an initiative to re- locate Pupin’s mortal remains from America. Everyone is working for this to become the final resting place of the first president of the New York Academy of Scienc- es, who was also a member of numerous European and world academies of sciences, an honorary doctor of 18 universities and a professor whose students became No- bel laureates...
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