
Johann Jakob Ebert (born 20 November 1737 in Breslau; died 18 March 1805 in Wittenberg) was an 18th-century German mathematician, astronomer, poet and author.
Life

He was born in
Breslau in what was then part of
Prussia (now known as
Wrocław and in
Poland) on 20 November 1737. He was educated in
Wurzen in western
Saxony then returned to his home town to study at the Elisabeth Gymnasium.
In 1756 he enrolled at the
University of Leipzig again in Saxony. He studied Mathematics, Natural Philosophy (Physics) and Moral Philosophy and graduated MA in 1761. Following graduation he lectured in Maths and Philosophy at the university. Here he worked with
Christian Gellert
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ (title), Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive ...
and
Johann August Ernesti.
In 1764 he began a
grand tour of Germany and France. Going to
Russia in 1768 he got a post as tutor to the children of Minister Teplof in
St. Petersburg. In 1769 he went to the University of
Wittenberg in Saxony as a junior professor of Lower Mathematics. He quickly obtained a reputation as a competent teacher.
From 1771 he began publishing newspapers and periodicals in Wittenberg.
On 5 June 1783 he was the first German to fly in a
hot air balloon during a visit to
Paris, meeting with the
Montgolfier Brothers. On return to Wittenberg the subject of aviation entered his lectures. In 1785 he became professor of combined Lower and Higher Mathematics at the University.
In 1789 he built an observatory at his house at 16 Burgermeisterstrasse in Wittenberg.
[Plaque at 16 Burgermeisterstrasse]
He died in
Wittenberg on 18 March 1805.
Publications
*''The Beginnings of the Theory of Reason'' (1773)
*''Nature for the Young'' (1777)
*''Instruction in the Philosophical and Mathematical Sciences'' (1779)
*''Biographies of Strange Creatures from the Animal Kingdom'' (1784)
*''Natural History'' (1784)
*''The Beginning of the Most Fine Parts of Natural Philosophy'' (1784)
*''The Philosopher for Everyone'' (1786)
*''Yearbook for Instructive Entertainment for Young Ladies'' (1795)
*''Fables for Children and Young People'' (1810) posthumous
Periodicals
*''Tapeten'' 1771 to 1776
*''Wittenberg Scholarly Newspaper'' 1778 to 1785
*''Wittenberg Magazine'' 1781 to 1784
*''Wittenberger Weekly Speak'' 1801 to 1804
References
1737 births
1805 deaths
18th-century German mathematicians
German journalists
German non-fiction writers
People from Wittenberg
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