Václav Prokop Divis
Václav Prokop Divis
Shaanxi
<b>(Václav Prokop Divi&#353;)</b><p><catset>Category="1698 births"</catset><catset>Category="1765 deaths"</catset><catset>Category="Czech scientists"</catset><b>Václav Prokop Divi&#353;</b> (born <a href="March 26">26 March</a>, <a href="1698">1698</a> in Helvíkovice &#8211; died <a href="December 25">25 December</a>, <a href="1765">1765</a> in P&#345;ím&#283;tice) was a <a href="Czech Republic">Czech</a> theologian and natural scientist who invented the <a href="Lightning rod">Lightning rod</a> between <a href="1750">1750</a> and <a href="1754">1754</a> independently of <a href="Benjamin Franklin">Benjamin Franklin</a>, and constructed the first electrified musical instrument in history, the so-called <a href="Denis d'or">Denis d'or</a>.<p>His last name is pronounced <i>Deevish</i>, and spelling variants are <i>Divisch</i> or <i>Diwisch</i>.<h2 style="margin: 0; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaaaaa; font-size: 150%;">External links</h2><ul><li> <font color=#700070> "Procopius Divisch" in <i>Catholic Encyclopedia</i></font> (Divis died December 25, not December 21 as claimed there!) <li> <font color=#700070> Prokop Divi&#353; Memorial</font> </ul>