Artturi Ilmari Virtanen
A Finnish chemist who revolutionized global agriculture by devising a simple method to keep livestock feed fresh through winter.
1895–1973 (age 78)·Finnish chemist and professor·Birthday: January 15·The Lost Generation
Biography
Artturi Virtanen turned a fundamental problem of Nordic life—preserving food through long winters—into a Nobel Prize-winning discovery. Working at the University of Helsinki and the Valtion Laboratory, his scientific curiosity was intensely practical. He focused on preventing the spoilage of silage, the fermented feed crucial for dairy cattle. Virtanen's brilliant insight was the AIV method, which involved adding dilute hydrochloric or sulfuric acid to freshly stored green fodder. This halted harmful fermentation, retained nutritional value, and ensured a stable milk supply year-round. The impact was immediate and global, boosting dairy production and food security. While his work spanned biochemistry and nutrition, it was this elegantly simple solution, born from necessity, that secured his legacy as a scientist who fed nations.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Artturi was born in 1895, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Artturi Was Born
The biggest hits of 1895
Artturi's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1895Born
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1900Started school
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1908Became a teenager
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Could drive
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could vote
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1916Turned 21
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 30
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1935Turned 40
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 50
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 60
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 70
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Died at 78
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
Key Achievements
- Awarded the 1945 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his inventions in agricultural and nutrition chemistry.
- Developed the AIV method for fodder preservation, a technique adopted worldwide.
- Served as a professor of biochemistry at the University of Helsinki for three decades.
- His research also contributed to improved methods for butter preservation and vitamin retention.
Did You Know?
He was the only Finnish Nobel laureate in chemistry for over 70 years, until 2022.
Virtanen's face was featured on the Finnish 1000 markka banknote before the country adopted the euro.
He founded the Institute for Biochemistry, which was later renamed in his honor.
Despite his fame, he was known for a modest and quiet lifestyle, deeply devoted to his work.
“I discovered that adding dilute sulfuric acid to stored green fodder stops fermentation.”
