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Otto von Guericke
Otto-von-Guericke-TS
Historical Figure
Nationality: German
Year of Birth: November 20, 1602
Year of Death: May 11, 1686 (aged 83)
Religion: Lutheranism

[1]

Occupation: Physicist, Politician
Fictional Appearances:
1632 series
POD: May, 1631
Appearance(s): Grantville Gazette X
Grantville Gazette XXIII
Grantville Gazette XXIX
1635: The Eastern Front
1636: The Devil's Opera
Ring of Fire IV
Type of Appearance: Direct
Occupation: Engineer, Politician

Otto von Guericke (originally spelled Gericke, German pronunciation: [ˈɡeːʁɪkə]) (November 20, 1602 – May 11, 1686 (Julian calendar); November 30, 1602 – May 21, 1686 (Gregorian calendar)) was a German scientist, inventor, and politician. His major scientific achievement was the establishment of the physics of vacuums.

Note[]

He was Otto Gericke until 1666[1], when he was ennobled by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.

Otto Gericke in 1632[]

Note: In the series, he is referred to as "Gericke", and not as a "von".

In the timeline created by Grantville's arrival, as in the OTL, Otto Gericke was a survivor of the Sack of Magdeburg, and was given the task of overseeing the rebuilding of the city. He is also mayor of Magdeburg, and was unopposed in the 1635 elections.[2] He is also one of the city's magistrates.[3]

While he is sometimes seen as "stodgy" and a "proper gentleman", he generally sees the Committees of Correspondence as a force for good, and sees the Magdeburg Committee as a stabilizing force within the rapidly-growing city.[4]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Galileo Project at Rice University.
  2. 1635: The Dreeson Incident, ch. 42
  3. Grantville Gazette X, "None So Blind";Grantville Gazette XII, "Through A Glass, Darkly";Grantville Gazette XXIII, "Rachel's Plaint"
  4. 1635: The Eastern Front, ch. 9
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