“The Republic does not need scholars, it needs justice.”
With these words, the judge ended the life of the greatest chemist in history, Antoine Lavoisier, who was executed by guillotine in 1794 in the midst of the chaos of the French Revolution.
Lavoisier is considered the father of modern chemistry. He was the first to separate the components of air, reveal the elements of oxygen and carbon dioxide, separate the components of water, and arrive at hydrogen. Rather, he delved into biology and described the gaseous exchanges that occur in the lung.
When Lavoisier was executed with the guillotine, his friend, the famous mathematician Lagrange, said: “It took one second to cut off this head, but it may take France hundreds of years to produce someone like him.”
Because of his work in the field of tax collection, his previous collection of huge wealth, and his enjoyment of privileges during the royal era, the French authorities pursued Lavoisier during the Reign of Terror and put him behind bars on November 24, 1793, ignoring all the services he provided to the country throughout his life and his valuable writings in the fields of chemistry, geology, and economics. .
Later, the court ruled that Lavoisier be executed by guillotine. With the issuance of the ruling, the scientist demanded that the implementation of the death penalty be postponed for 15 days in order to complete his work on an important chemical experiment. The response of one of the officials in the courtroom went down in history and remains a stain on the French Revolution. He replied, “The Republic has no need for scientists or chemists. The court’s decision cannot be postponed.”
On May 8, 1794, The blade of the guillotine fell, decapitating the father of modern chemistry, who was restored to fame months later, following the fall of Robespierre and the end of his reign of terror.
Source: websites