The Resume

(circa 1630-circa 1710)
Born in Hamburg, Germany
Alchemist
Discovered the element phosphorus (1669)

Why he might be annoying:

He was trying to discover the philosopher’s stone that could transmute base metals into gold.
He spent his first wife’s money in pursuit of the philosopher’s stone, followed by a hefty amount of his second wife’s wealth.
He discovered phosphorus by boiling urine.
His technique required 5,500 liters (1,450 gallons) of urine to produce 120 grams (4.25 ounces) of phosphorus.
The first step of his technique was to let the urine putrefy, so just image the stink of 5500 liters of it.

Why he might not be annoying:

He was an officer in the Thirty Years’ War.
He was the first person discover an element since ancient times.
Later chemists, like Robert Boyle, discovered that phosphorus could be obtained just as readily from fresh urine, which at least cut down on the odor.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 17th Century Scientists
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 62]
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• Profiles 38001-38250 (Ranked: 38061)
• Scientists

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying