Birkeland and Eyde Set Fire to the Incombustible

Kristian Birkeland (1867-1917) was a professor of physics in Oslo and became well known for investigations of the relations between geomagnetism and the aurora borealis. Obviously he covered a broad field of interest, as his name is also connected with the very first method of manufacturing nitric acid from atmospheric nitrogen. The technique is known as the Birkeland-Eyde process. 

Samuel Eyde (1866-1940) was a civil engineer and became a prominent industrialist, founder of the large Norwegian company Norsk Hydro. 

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