THE AGA FEELS SUCH A STAPLE of the British country kitchen that it's something of a surprise to learn that it was invented by a Swede, Gustaf Dalén. More astonishing is the fact that the iconic range cooker wasn't even his crowning achievement: Dalén, known for his infectious optimism and inquisitive nature, was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and all-round genius.
Born in 1869, he spent his formative years on the family farm in southern Sweden, showing an early knack for coming up with ways to streamline everyday agricultural processes. His focus wasn't entirely on farming, though. At the age of 13, he combined a wall clock with sandpaper, a wheel mechanism and a match to light a gas lamp which in turn heated a coffee kettle. This forerunner of the teamaker got to work 15 minutes before it was time to rise, so the teenager could wake up to light and a hot drink. Very clever.
Dalén's life took a new direction when he devised an instrument to measure the fat content in milk. He approached Gustaf de Laval, who worked with dairy machinery, and showed him his creation. The engineer had just patented an almost identical design, and was impressed enough to tell Dalén to leave agriculture behind and gain a technical education.
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