Charles Pigeon

Birth Name:

Charles-Joseph Pigeon

Birth Date:

March 29, 1838

Birth Place:

Le Mesnil-Lieubray, Normandy, France

Death Date:

March 18, 1915

Place of Death:

54 Rue de Rennes, Paris, France

Age:

Cause of Death:

Natural causes

Cemetery Name:

Cimetière du Montparnasse

Claim to Fame:

Science

Charles-Joseph Pigeon started as a salesman in department store Le Bon Marché in Paris, where he became a close friend of Ernest Cognacq. Together they became partners and co-founders of the Samaritaine department stores. Pigeon became a dealer in cycle lamps, mining lamps and other combustible lamps. On June 9, 1884 he obtained a patent for his new lamp, the Pigeon lamp, a non-exploding gasoline lamp. He began to design, manufacture and sell his new invention across Europe and later that year he exhibited his Pigeon Lamps at the Exposition universelle de 1900) which subsequently made him famous and very, very wealthy.

Fun Fact

Today Charles Pigeon is not remembered for his revolutionary invention, but rather his phenomenal gravesite in Paris, France. After his death he remains noted for his family grave in Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris, which he commissioned in 1905 to hold up to 18 family members. The main feature is a life-sized bronze sculpture of Pigeon (notebook and pencil in hand) and his wife lying on a bed, overlooked by an angel, which had been illuminated by a lamp for many years by his custodians.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Cimetière du Montparnasse

3 Bd Edgar Quinet

Paris, , 75014

France

Europe

Map:

Map of Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris, France

Grave Location:

Division 22

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery from Gate 3 (at the intersection of Blvd Edgar Quinet and Blvd Raspail) walk straight ahead Rue Emile Richard and turn left onto Avenue Thierry. Follow this path around to the right and look to your left for the perhaps the grandest of all family monuments in Paris – the final resting place of Charles Pigeon.

Grave Location GPS

48.838227112286255, 2.3302259220006407

Visiting The Grave:

Photos:

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Videos Featuring Charles Pigeon:

The Pigeon Vapour Lamp

Lampe Pigeon Oil Lamp

lampe pigeon restoration old oil lamp

See More:

Camille Flammarion

Jean Baptiste Perrin

Sir Douglas Mawson

popular name: Sir Douglas Mawson

date_of_death: October 14, 1958

age: 76

cause_of_death: Cerebral haemorrhage

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Douglas Mawson is a world renowned Australian geologist, explorer, and scientist known for his pioneering work in Antarctica. Mawson began his studies at the University of Sydney where majored in geology and developed a passion for exploration. His first expedition began in 1907 when he joined Ernest Shackleton’s British Antarctic Expedition as a scientist. Although the expedition didn’t achieve all its goals, it laid the foundation for his future Antarctic ventures. In 1911 Mawson led the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), a scientific and exploration mission. This became one of his most notable achievements. Mawson and his team conducted significant geological surveys, made important meteorological observations, and explored previously uncharted areas of Antarctica. In 1912 during the AAE, Mawson embarked on a perilous journey to explore further inland, accompanied by two companions, Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz. Both men perished—Ninnis fell into a crevasse, and Mertz died from starvation and exposure. Mawson continued alone, suffering from exhaustion and frostbite but ultimately survived, managing to return to base, where he was hailed as a hero. After returning to Australia, Mawson continued his work in geology and advocated for further exploration in Antarctica. He was instrumental in the establishment of Australian research stations in Antarctica, was a key figure in the founding of the Australian Antarctic Division and played a role in ensuring Australia’s claim to parts of Antarctica. For his contributions, including being knighted in 1914, he also made significant contributions to the development of scientific research in polar regions and his name is associated with several geographic locations in Antarctica, and he remains a celebrated figure in Australian exploration history. Today Sir Douglas Mawson is considered one of the greatest men of his era both in Australia and by scientist around the world.