History of technology

The tumultuous year 2025 is drawing to a close. Amid the whirlwind of events, anxieties, struggles, and everyday concerns, a moment has arisen to indulge in a philosophical and historical reflection and take a look at the history of the Department of Laser Engineering and Physical-Technical Technologies. And immediately the question arose: what should serve as the starting point—the establishment of the department as a graduating unit, the launch of the major, the inception of the field, or the creation of the basic laboratories from which it all began?

This summer marked the 100th anniversary of the first flight of the Ukrainian passenger aircraft K-1, created under the leadership of Ukrainian Soviet aircraft designer, 1925 KPI graduate Konstantin Oleksiyovych Kalinin (1887-1938). This event took place on July 26, 1925.

On November 16, 2024, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian Radio. It was on this day in 1924 that its first program was broadcast. It was a radio concert by the Viem Violin Quartet. It was broadcast by the first Ukrainian broadcasting station, which was equipped in Kharkiv, the capital of Ukraine at the time, by a group of Ukrainian engineers and technicians under the leadership of Volodymyr Ohiievskyi, a lecturer at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Later, Ogievsky led the construction and launch of similar stations in Odesa, Dnipro, Tiraspol, and other cities.

“Dedicated to professionals and their grandchildren who will be able to become professionals”. This was the slogan of a roundtable discussion held at the Borys Paton State Polytechnic Museum as part of World Space Week on October 10, 2024. 

On 29 May 1914 (all dates are old style), the second prototype of the Ilya Muromets aircraft, piloted by its chief designer Igor Sikorsky, who recently turned 25 on 25 May, took off for the first time from the Korpusnyi Aerodrom of St. Petersburg. It was much lighter than its predecessor and had more powerful engines. 

The purpose of the development and launch of the first university nanosatellite of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute was to study the design elements of the device, in particular solar sensors for small spacecraft for their further improvement and use in subsequent satellites of this series, to test the technological modes of flight...

Among the numerous Kyiv buildings decorated by Elio Sala (the most famous is the House with Chimeras), the literature also mentions the main building of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. However, the works made by the Italian master in the mechanical workshops of the KPI are completely forgotten today.

In early May, the State Polytechnic Museum named after Borys Paton at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute opened an exhibition of American military vehicles, which was supplemented by mini dioramas and models of aircraft that took part in the most important military operations of the anti-Hitler coalition in 1944.

The editorial board planned to publish this article last year, as 2023 marked the 240th anniversary of the first balloon flight by the Mongolfier brothers. However, for a number of objective reasons, we were unable to publish this article, so we are doing so now.

We bring to your attention the book of Mykhailo Zgurovsky "The Legacy of Academician Glushkov at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute".