The 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Ørsted’s discovery of electromagnetism was launched in the presence of, among others, HRH Crown Prince Frederik and ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen.
Friday 31 January marked the official opening of the nationwide celebration of the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Ørsted’s discovery of electromagnetism, dubbed HCØ2020, an event which will attract much focus throughout Danish society for the rest of the year. The launch took place when HRH the Crown Prince, as patron of HCØ2020, ‘cut the electromagnetic ribbon’ in the presence of more than 200 guests at Industriens Hus on City Hall Square.
The event featured speeches by President Anders Overgaard Bjarklev, Chairman of the Danish Rectors’ Conference, Lars Sandahl Sørensen, CEO of the Confederation of Danish Industry, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Anja C. Andersen, Professor at the University of Copenhagen, and Henrik Poulsen, CEO of Ørsted. After the launch, representatives from different student start-ups were available for discussions about collaboration between research institutions and industry.
“Scientific curiosity enabled Hans Christian Ørsted to create his breakthrough, which formed the basis for the development that now allows us to power large parts of society using electricity. Without it, the green transition would be unthinkable,” was one of the remarks made by Anders Overgaard Bjarklev in his speech.
“This year, when we organize events and activities celebrating natural science and Hans Christian Ørsted all over the country, the goal is to strengthen science formation in Denmark and stir enthusiasm and interest in natural science and technology.”
A celebration of curiosity
Anders Bjarklev was not the only presenter paying tribute to Hans Christian Ørsted’s discovery as well as his curiosity. Another was Lars Sandahl Sørensen, who took the stage accompanied by David Bowie’s hit ‘Heroes’:
“We’re actually paying homage to a hero today. When you make a discovery as ground-breaking as electromagnetism, you really deserve to be celebrated—even if you’re unable to attend the celebration yourself.
But we’re not only celebrating Ørsted. Nor are we paying tribute solely to his amazing discovery—although it has a huge impact on everything in our everyday lives. We’re celebrating curiosity. I believe Ørsted was driven by curiosity. Curiosity is, in fact, the renewable energy that we all need. Curiosity should be utilized even more and even better—also in Denmark.”
Of course we went to the Moon
Curiosity has also been a driving force in ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen’s career. When asked on the stage what inspired him to become an astronaut, he had no doubt:
“Definitely the Apollo missions and the adventure and journey of discovery they represented. Later, I was also fascinated and inspired by science, but the adventure came first. And then you might ask: What do we need adventure for? But in the same way that Hans Christian Ørsted didn’t really know what to use electromagnetism for when he discovered it, I’m sure that in 200 years we’ll look back and say: Of course we went to the Moon—of course we went into space. And maybe we’ll be seeing research stations on the Moon before long.”