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Hanns Hörbiger was born on November 29, 1860 in Atzgersdorf (then Lower Austria) and died on October 11, 1931 in Vienna-Mauer. Of his four sons, Hans Robert, Alfred, Paul and Attila, the two younger ones became actors. Attila Hörbiger married Paula Wessely, the "most important actress of the 20th century", according to Georg Markus in his book "The Hörbigers - Biography of a Family". Hanns's job was as a technician. "As a young engineer, he patented the groundbreaking invention of the 'first friction-free steel plate valve', which, as a revolutionary innovation, played a significant role in the development of modern industrial society," says Markus, who also mentions the beginnings of his passion for astronomy. "As a thirteen-year-old secondary school student, Hanns Hörbiger had pushed his bed into the garden to 'observe the sky'. In later years, his research led him to the view that a huge layer of ice was the origin of the earth."
The steel plate valves he invented were used in piston blowers, compressors and vacuum pumps, improving their effectiveness. Hörbiger reduced the moving valve mass and was able to remedy the existing problems by “completely eliminating the guide friction” (“Neue Freie Presse” from September 6, 1929). Continuing in the original sound: "The Hoerbiger valve, whose most important element is a valued spring-loaded ring plate, has quickly earned the trust of the most important mechanical engineers and is now widely used by the largest factories in all countries." Documents on this are in the archives of the Technical Museum in Vienna.
As innovative and, thanks to the patents, this innovation was harmonious, he wrote himself into the books of scientific history with the world view of his "glacial cosmogony", the world ice theory (WEL), which he designed - incidentally at the same time as the valve in 1894 - and achieved international fame. He had "Ing. H. Hörbiger, private astronomer. Constructor, Mauer near Vienna" printed on his stationery.
Thanks to Philipp Fauth (1867–1941), a primary school teacher and also an astronomer, Hörbiger's theses became widespread. It was Fauth who published Hörbiger's ideas, "supported by his own experiences", in the 722-page work with 212 illustrations. The subtitle "A new history of the evolution of the universe and the solar system" aimed at an explanation of the world. "Within the framework of glacial cosmogony, we will get to know a completely wonderful structure that satisfies us backwards and forwards and even opens up incredibly far-reaching prospects without us having to make arbitrary assumptions, like Kant or Laplace." After so much self-confidence, who is surprised by the following sentence a few lines later: "The glacial cosmogony may therefore be the new gospel." Four theses follow as cornerstones of the theory.
Naturally, the book was reviewed by experts. When the book was published in 1913, Wilhelm Petrascheck (1876–1967) was a geologist at the k. k. Geological Reichsanstalt (today Geological Federal Institute, GBA) specializing in coal geology. In 1918 he accepted a professorship in Leoben at what was then the Montanistische Hochschule (now the Montan University), where he rose to the position of rector. "It is a book that leaves nothing to be desired in terms of originality. It testifies to the unusual erudition of the authors, who seek to deal with a wealth of astronomical, meteorological and geological questions from new perspectives in which ice plays an outstanding role."
Of course, when he quotes from the book here, according to which a coal seam is said to have been formed within a day, then this thesis contradicts the doctrine of coalification, which extends over long periods of time. Petrascheck sums up: "However, what is explained about geology and deposits can only be treated as speculation, as it can come about without any observation of nature at the desk and with the help of sometimes even questionable literature. ... It [= the book] will be able to cause little confusion in Montanist circles, since facts and observations are valued more highly than speculation."
In the copy of Hörbiger's Glacial Cosmogony from the Federal Geological Institute (GBA) with the signature 16915.80, Hörbiger's letters are pasted on the back and front - impressive documents of his desire for recognition by scholars. The science historian Christina Wessely says: "Immediately after his 'discovery', Hörbiger began to popularize the world ice theory, initially mainly in the form of epistolary networking." Hörbiger sent letters and long texts to prominent natural scientists, including Eduard Suess (1831–1914), professor of geology at the University of Vienna and, from 1898, president of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
The front letter from March 21, 1917 is addressed to Franz Eduard Suess (1867–1941), son of Eduard Suess. From 1911, Franz Eduard was a geologist at the University of Vienna at his father's professorship. On March 30, 1917, he announced a lecture on “Volcanic Forms of the Earth and the Moon” at the Geological Society. Hörbiger, also a member of the society, wanted to secure the floor in advance: "Perhaps you would be kind enough to let me speak as an opponent of the plutonistic-selenological view of the moon after your presentation. This might perhaps provide an opportunity for a fruitful discussion. But I would not like to be seen as an intruder or a deliberate complainer, but rather as an honest person with a different opinion." Suess knew about the book. "If you would like to remember, in the spring of 1913, as a long-standing member of the Geological Society, I dutifully submitted to you, dear Professor, as the then President, our work marked by the following prospectus, which you also confirmed to me." We do not know whether he ever read it.
The back letter followed three years later (March 10, 1920) and was addressed to the director of the GBA, then the Geological State Institute, Georg Geyer. Again it was about lectures. Hörbiger asked Geyer (“Mr. Government Councilor”) for “kind participation” in two “cosmotechnical lectures on the formation of coal seams”. Date: March 18 and April 15, 1920; Location: Eschenbachgasse 9, the address of the engineers and architects association. Hörbiger himself speaks here about his theories as “geological heresies”. He had written to six other geologists from the State Geological Institute. He also did not shy away from "submittingly asking Mr. Government Councilor to at least put in a favorable word for my heresies with these gentlemen geologists, if they themselves do not want to mark our event with their presence."
But that's not enough. Hörbiger gave the director homework. Geyer should "kindly make the effort" and in his book, which he gave to the library on April 9, 1913 (entry in the book), "read the geological part without prejudice according to the following time-economical reading program." Geyer should come as an informed listener; Hörbiger might have another concern. "At least Mr. Government Councilor would like to be kind enough to have the enclosed reading program pasted into the front of the main work there, so that any geological reader can immediately get to the geological chapter that is closer to them."
Geyer was kind enough to not only have the hectographed "time-economic reading programs" for readers interested in geology, meteorology, cosmology and biology pasted into the book, but also Hörbiger's letter.
Like a school teacher, Hörbiger gave a precise plan as to where the best place to start and how to continue reading would be. Last but not least, he recommended to the "geologically equipped technical reader" a "spatial imagination experiment" - this was - according to the engineer's idea - not to be carried out in spirit, but rather "with a ruler and a ruler on the floor of a large hall".
With the founding of the Cosmotechnical Society (1920), Hörbiger professionalized the dissemination of his theory, which was now 25 years old. While he has so far been unable to inspire established scientists with his thesis, the well-organized Cosmotechnical Society (Universitätsstrasse 11) should now reach the general public. In addition, as a kind of media partner, there was the German Voigtländer publishing house, which published a series of popular publications, including "Welteis und Welteisentwicklung" (1926), which apparently had an impact. The writer Hermann Bahr (1863–1934) also found access to Hörbiger's worldview through these writings. He, a "bloody layman" when it comes to natural sciences, writes: "... my mathematical talent is not even completely sufficient for the multiplication tables. But here is observation! Here I feel the thrill of primeval vision! And involuntarily I hear: "Here you are in a sacred place!" Continuing with Hermann Bahr: "Imagination, currently locked out of art, is apparently staying hospitably with science for the time being." ("Diary" by Hermann Bahr; “Neues Wiener Journal” from March 23, 1924).
Of course, Hörbiger did not forget to position himself centrally, according to Wessely: "The focus of the popularization activities was Hörbiger himself, who [...] became the main actor in his own, self-staged scientific history." Hörbiger had photos and autograph cards printed and medals made with his portrait. He knew that he was not following academic customs; rather, Hörbiger was able to succeed with the broad masses, not least through his charisma, and began to take on political dimensions in addition to a "quasi-religious worldview". “[…] the massive rejection of Hörbiger was increasingly negotiated in a German nationalist and anti-Semitic context,” says Wessely. If the world ice theory later found supporters in wide circles of National Socialism, it was - according to Wessely - "by no means primarily an ideology in the wake of National Socialism, although it played an important role in this context."
Looking back, we can see how a charismatic, tireless person in the 20th century tried to position his ideas outside of conventional wisdom with a cleverly operating network that fascinates the general public in order to explain the world in a new way.
If you want to know more, the Technical Museum in Vienna is the right place for you: "We have the entire library, several hundred books, and the archive of the Institute for World Ice Science, 330 folders, in our house," says Carla Camilleri, head of the archive and library. (Thomas Hofmann, October 11, 2021)