To engage in the popularization of science is good only for those who are well versed in it. Evgeny Alekseevich Chudakov is not the most famous author of the technical materials of “Behind the Wheel” in our time. But definitely the first one.
We continue the cycle of materials dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the magazine “Za Rulem”.
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When a print publication has no competitors, staying afloat is relatively easy. But when new newspapers and magazines spring up out of nowhere almost daily, and readers don’t care who they prefer, the situation escalates dramatically.
The magazine Za Rulem appeared in 1928 precisely in such an environment. Simultaneously with it, “Crocodile”, “Soviet Photo”, “Literary Newspaper”, “Peasant Woman”, “Around the World”, “Spark”, “Sail”, “Worker”, “Roman-newspaper” and many others were published.
The subject of such publications was understandable and in demand. And what could “Behind the Wheel” offer when there were really no cars in the country?
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First automobile
Evgeny Alekseevich Chudakov was one of the first technical authors of “Behind the Wheel”.Evgeny Alekseevich Chudakov was one of the first technical authors of “Behind the Wheel”.
The task before the creators of the new magazine was ambitious – to captivate the reader with something that does not yet exist. Therefore, from the very first issue, eminent authors began to be attracted to writing articles, whose authority was not in doubt.
The landmark article “The Future of the Automotive Industry in the USSR” was written not by a dreamer theorist, but by a real professor – Evgeny Alekseevich Chudakov.
And already from the next issues, the professor begins to publish materials on the device of the car. And not short notes, but detailed articles – as for a solid textbook.
Chudakov was not afraid to truthfully reflect the situation: “In terms of its motor transport, our Union occupies the last place among all industrial countries to any extent”! It was a risky statement.Chudakov was not afraid to truthfully reflect the situation: “In terms of its motor transport, our Union occupies the last place among all industrial countries to any extent”! It was a risky statement.
If you want to know how a car works, take the “Behind the Wheel” file and read Professor Chudakov! And it was strong: there was simply no alternative to such materials.
From school to serial passenger car
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The biography of Evgeny Chudakov is remarkable. A native of the village, at the age of 26 he graduated from the Imperial Moscow Technical School, and with honors.
Almost immediately, the young engineer was sent to the UK – for the purchase and acceptance of cars and motorcycles. But in 1918, Chudakov returned to Russia – in the midst of world-famous upheavals. He firmly believed that his place was not in London, but in his homeland.
In Moscow, he got a job at the department of his native school, which by that time had already been reorganized into the Moscow Higher Technical School. Gradually, the situation developed in such a way that it was Chudakov who began to deal with almost all automotive and near-automotive affairs.
In the Scientific Automobile Laboratory (NAL), later transformed into NAMI, a single design bureau for all domestic automobile plants actually appeared.
Chudakov and his colleagues organized motor rallies with the participation of foreign manufacturers, developed the first serial passenger car NAMI-1, and negotiated with the Americans about the production of domestic trucks.
Evgeny Chudakov’s favorite pastime was driving.Evgeny Chudakov’s favorite pastime was driving.
Labor awards
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Since the beginning of the war, Chudakov was engaged in the adaptation of imported equipment for low-octane fuel, the development of technology for clearing snow from military airfields, the modernization of aircraft engines, etc.
In 1943, Academician Chudakov … refused the Stalin Prize awarded to him! He personally sent a message to Stalin with a request to transfer the 100,000 rubles awarded to him for the construction of a tank column “For advanced science.” Stalin thanked him with the words “Accept my greetings and gratitude to the Red Army, Yevgeny Alekseevich, for taking care of the armored forces of the Red Army.”
Evgeny Chudakov was a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the first director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the USSR Academy of Sciences. His works are still studied by students. Many of these works were published on the pages of the magazine “Behind the wheel”.
