Wilhelm Josef Grailich
Austrian mineralogist (1829–1859)
Wilhelm Joseph Grailich (16 February 1829, in Pressburg – 13 September 1859, in Vienna) was an Austrian physicist, mineralogist and crystallographer.
Education
From 1847, Grailich studied sciences at the polytechnic institute in Vienna.
Career
Grailich served as an assistant to Andreas von Ettingshausen in the institute of physics at the University of Vienna. In 1856 he became an assistant at the Hofmineraliencabinett, where soon afterwards, he succeeded Gustav Adolf Kenngott as "kustos-adjunkt". In 1857 he became an associate professor of higher physics at the university, and in 1859, was chosen as a member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences. In 1910, a thoroughfare in the Landstrasse district of Vienna was named Grailichgasse in his honor.
Known for his work in crystal optics and crystal physics, he was the author of numerous scientific papers in the field of crystallography. In 1856, he translated William Hallowes Miller's textbook of crystallography into German as "Lehrbuch der Kristallographie". He explained the phenomenon of fluorescence in crystals, and is credited for making improvements to Wheatstone's vibration apparatus (in German: "Schwingungsapparat").
Personal life
His full name was Andreas Wilhelm Joseph Grailich, he was son of Friedrich Joseph Grailich (teacher in the Lutheran School in Pressburg) and Carolina Neidherr.
“Wilhelm Josef Grailich” enters the record as austrian mineralogist (1829–1859). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Wilhelm, Josef and Grailich can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Wilhelm Josef Grailich” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Wilhelm, Josef and Grailich provides the most credible route into that argument.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2573472. VIAF identifies the subject as 773946. The Library of Congress control number is no2011029217. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1829, 1859, 1847 and 1856.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Wilhelm Josef Grailich”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Wilhelm Josef Grailich primary sources, Wilhelm Josef Grailich archive and Wilhelm research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Wilhelm Josef Grailich”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Wilhelm Josef Grailich” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.