Balkan trivia: Learn about Mihailo Pupin

Mihailo Pupin Museum in Serbia

Continuing our journey of discovering where you can find the information about the worldwide renowned Serbs, we are going a bit further than Belgrade. After finding out where to find Nikola Tesla in Belgrade, allow me to present you the place where you can learn about life and extraordinary achievements of one of the most famous inventors in the world, Mihailo Pupin. I am taking you to a bit hidden cultural gem, the Museum of Mihailo Pupin.

In case that, for some reason, you haven’t heard of Mihailo Pupin, or you know vaguely about him, here is a brief overview. Mihailo Pupin was a 19th century scientist, inventor and professor at the University of Columbia. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1924 for the autobiographical work "From Pastures to Scientists", which I believe also reflects on his personal life, coming from a very small place in Serbia called Idvor. Pupin is worldwide famous for his patented 34 inventions, out of which the most important is known as Pupin's Theory of 1896, and of course, the telephone. What is interesting to know is that the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers ranked him fifth in the world best professor of electrical engineering of all time. Pupin’s students were later famous scientists, inventors, and some of them were Nobel Prize winners: Miliken, Langmuir, Rabi and Armstrong.

Today, we are visiting the place where the legend is born, located an hour car ride from Belgrade. The birth house of Mihailo Pupin is part of a museum setting, and it represents the Serbian Banat house from the mid-nineteenth century that extends along the length of the property, with a rather peculiar facade. The interior of the house reflects everyday life at a time when Mihailo Pupin lived in it. A museum dedicated to Pupin was created by the Museum of Vojvodina in 1979. What is remarkable is that it has not changed since. The establishment also has a huge gallery, shop and library, which offers a unique opportunity to find out more about Pupin's remarkable accomplishments.

Today, a museum can offer a virtual exhibition that is supposed to be translated in many languages. Pupin himself emphasized the power of knowledge so this, complimenting his museum, will be a wonderful homage to his life and work achievements.

Muzej Mihaila Pupina

Mihajla Pupina 2, Idvor, Serbia