Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-GiraultAntonio de Ulloa was born in Seville, Spain on January 12, 1716. In 1735, after being in the navy for a few years, he was sent to Ecuador to do some measurements about the equator with Jorge Juan y Santacilia. While there, they discovered the element Platinum. On the way back to Spain Ulloa's ship was captured by the British and he was taken prisoner. Once they realized his discovery, he was deemed a man of science and was invited to be a part of many scientific societies.
In 1758 he began his political career as the governor of a small area in Peru. When his term was up in 1764, he traveled to New Orleans where he became the governor of West Louisiana in 1766. In 1768 he was dethroned by an uprising. His life ended as a naval officer and he eventually achieved lieutenant-general before dying on July 3, 1795. He is also credited with creating the first natural history museum, the first metallurgical (the technology and science behind metals) laboratory, and an observatory. |