Thomas's arithmometer
Biography
Chronology
Royal gifts
Medals


Chronology
   
* Translation by Eric Schurmann

Year
 date
Thomas de Colmar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Contemporary events
 
 
1785
  
Birth of Charles-Xavier Thomas, at  Colmar , 8 rue Rapp, son of Joseph Antoine Thomas, doctor, and of Françoise-Xavier Anselin. 
Departure of Lapérouse for the Pacific
1795
May
Birth of Frasquita Garcia de Ampudia Alvarez , who later became his wife
The "sans-culottes".... . Death of Louis XVII, 10 years old
1804
  
 
Napoleon is annointed Emperor the 2nd December 1804.
Napoleonic campaigns.
Vidocq! hooligan, then policeman!
1809
  
Army administrator. Chief cashier for rations
1810
  
Manager of Headquarters rations store in Seville .
First meeting with Frasquita Garcia de Ampudia, who will become his wife.
 
 
 
 
1812
  
 
Retreat from Russia , Berezina
1813
  
Chief Superintendent of stores for the armies operating in Spain .
Spain is hotting up!
1814
  
Rations Inspector for the French army.
Napoleon, dethroned, leaves for Elba .
Louis XVIII in power!
1815
  
 
Napoleon: return from Elba . Defeat at Waterloo . Exile in Saint Helena.
1816
  
Agent and Pricipal Officer for rations for the allied troops, in Colmar . Thomas lives in the rue de l'Imprimerie. Birth of his first son, François-Louis-Charles.
"Le radeau de la Méduse " by Géricault
1819
Sept.
Creation of the Phoenix Insurance Company. Thomas is named General Manager for 15 years.
Authorisation for insurance companies to extend their activities to fire cover..
1820
Feb.
Thomas resigns from Phoenix , following a disagreement.  
 
Patent N° 1420 of 18th November, 1820
Model T1820
1821

Apr.
Knight of the Legion of Honour.

 
Death of Napoleon, on 5th May at Saint Helena . Foundation of the Ecole des Chartes.
1822

 
Bulletin of the Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale
Texts by Francoeur and Hoyau

 
Egypt revealed by Champollion
Modèle T1822
1823

 
Purchase of the building at 13, rue du Helder, in Paris . The arithmometer is mentioned in German scientific literature (Dingler's Polytechnisches Journal)

 
Niepce invents photography.
1824

 
 

 
Death of Louis XVIII. Charles X succeeds him.
1829

Dec.
Foundation of the Compagnie du Soleil. Thomas remains its General Manager until his death. He holds 25 % of the capital.

 
The Navy adopts steam power! First tubular locomotive, built by Marc Seguin.
1832

 
Death of his father, Joseph-Antoine

 
Cholera epidemic in Paris . L'Orient by Delacroix ...
1834

Nov.
Thomas joins the "Committee of Insurance Company Managers" to agree on a common tariff.

 
George Sand breaks with Alfred de Musset ..
1837

Dec.
Purchase of the Château de Champfleury, at Carrières-sous-Poissy for the sum of 40,500 Francs.

 
Opening of the "Paris - Saint-Germain" railway line
1840

 
Disaster insurance becomes profitable

 
Inauguration of the Colonne de  Juillet, place de la Bastille
1843

 
Creation of the Aigle insurance company

 
Schools take up gymnastics!
1844

 
His brother, Henri-Louis Thomas, becomes General Manager of Soleil

 
"The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas
National Exhibition of 1844

?
Several machines are exhibited
1846

 
Re-insurance agreement between Soleil and Aigle.

 
The Holy Virgin appears at La Salette. The planet Neptune is discovered by Johann Galle.
1847

 
His son, Joseph Thomas d'Alvarez, takes over the management of Aigle.

 
Death of Marie Duplessis, "la dame aux camélias" (Camille).
Model T1848
Patent N° 8282 of 25th April, 1849
 
 

     
1850

 Aug.

  
Purchase of the  Château de Maisons-Laffitte for 170,000 Francs.

 
Death of Honoré de Balzac.
1850

Nov.
Creation of the mixed liability company Hoart & Co. Thomas holds 60 %

 
Patent N° 10990 (6261*) of 8th December, 1850
Model T1850
English patent N° 13,504 of 10th February, 1851

Note : this Patent displays the "pointers counter", which is the subject of a  certificate of addition of 19/08/1851. The drawings are more carefully done than in the French patent.
1851

 
Major report by Benoît on the arithmometer. 16 digit machines are already built.

 
Louis Napoleon crossed the Rubicon!
1851

 
Gold medal of the Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale.
Silver medal at the Universal Exhibition in London

 
Second Empire !
1851

 Aug.
Certificate of addition to Patent 10990 (to be developed)

 
 
1851

Déc.
His Majesty, theSa Majesté le Bey of Tunis, gives him the Diamond Nicham 2nd class. Did Thomas give an arithmometer to the Bey of Tunis ?

 
 
Model T1852
 

 
1852

 
First instruction manuals! (Hoart & Co)
First serial numbers!

 
New Constitution !
1852

 
The prince president (later, Napoleon III) gives him a gold snuffbox with his crest.
The Duke of Nassau gives him a diamond ring .

 
 
1852

 
Death of his brother, Henry-Louis Thomas.
Louis Thomas, Duke of Bojano, succeeds him as Deputy General Manager.

 
 
1852

Aug.
His Majesty, the King of the Netherlands , makes him a Knight of the Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne.

 
 
1852

Dec.
His Holiness, Pope Pius IX, makes him a Commander of the Ordre de Saint Grégoire le Grand.

 
 
1853

Dec.

His Majesty, the King of Greece, gives him the Croix de
Chevalier du Sauveur

 
New Caledonia becomes French
Model T1856
 

 
1854

April
The Grand Duke of Tuscany gives him a hereditary peerage through the male line by letters patent.

 
 
1854

July
His Majesty, the King of Sardinia makes him a Knight of the
Ordre des Saints Maurice et Lazare.

 
Crimean War
1854-

 
A superb machine is offered to Marie-Thérèse Louise de Bourbon Parme, regent of the Duchies of   Parma and Piacenza

 
Regency of the duchies of Parma and Piacenza : 1854-1859
1854

 
Soleil absorbs Le Globe, La Lyonnaise, La Palladium and La Nivernaise (1854-55)

 
1854

 
L'Académie des Sciences gives its approval to the arithmometer. It is admitted to the Concours de Mécanique of 1855.

 
 
Piano arithmometer
Universal Exhibition of 1855
Thomas de Colmar exhibits his giant 30 digit arithmometer!
Honorable Mention ....
1855

 
Le Verrier, manager of the Observatoire de Meudon, congratulates him. Verrier had received an arithmometer in 1854
as a gift.

 
Siege of Sebastopol
1857

Aug.
Promoted to the rank of Officier de la Légion  d'honneur !

 
"Les fleurs du mal"  by Baudelaire banned! Certain parts are considered scandalous…..
1857

 
Relinquishment of the system of "participation" which put shareholders and participants into opposition to each other.

 
 
Model T1858
 

 
1858

 
Thomas introduces the turns counter ("compteur de tours") into
his machines

 
First aerial photographs by Nadar
Model T1860
1860

Sept.
Purchase of Château de Mairé ( Vienne ) on the banks of the Creuse for 621,000 francs

 
Baron Haussmann transforms Paris !
1861

 
Pierre-Albert Dalmas, MP for Ille et Vilaine, gives up his job as Secretary to Napoleon III to chair Soleil from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 to 1876.

 
"La Blanchisseuse", by Honoré Daumier
1863

June
Thomas buys a plot of land at 156, Bd Haussmann, on which he
has a town-house built. 11 servants work there. The stables hold 6 horses and 6 carriages!

 
France makes Cambodia a protectorate. "Déjeuner sur l'herbe" by Manet
1864

 
Special disaster insurance policy

 
Inauguration of the transatlantic line. Sensational speech by Thiers
Patent N° 68923 of 30th December, 1865
Model T1865
1868

 
Compagnie du Soleil moves from 13 rue du Helder to 44-46
rue de Châteaudun, Paris IXe.

 
Velocipede race. Pierre Michaux creates the pedals.
1869

 
Plan to extend his activities to life insurance. The plan will only be put into effect in 1872 by his son, Louis Thomas de Bojano.

 
Telegraphic cable under the Atlantic . Sarah Bernhardt enchants Paris.
1870

March
Death of Thomas de Colmar at the age of 84, at home at 156 Bd Haussmann. He held 81% of the capital of Soleil

 
Workers' strike at Creusot fails.
Inventory!
A stock of 229 10, 12, 16 and 20 digit machines remains in the workshops at 16, rue de la Tour des Dames.
1870

 
Louis Thomas de Bojano is named General Manager of Soleil.

 
War! Napoleon III surrenders
1872

 
Louis Thomas de Bojano starts offering life insurance in Soleil

 
Around the World in 80 Days / Jules Verne
1877

 
Sale of the Château de Maisons-Laffitte

 
The electric battery by Leclanché
Patent N° 138912 of 29th September, 1880
Model T1880
1881

May

Death of Louis Thomas. Mr le Comte de Rancy, grandson of Thomas de Colmar, succeeds him.

 
Primary schools made free of charge / Jules Ferry
1887
1889

 
Payen puts his name on the arithmometers. Gold medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1889

 
Gauguin in Pont-Aven !
Model Payen P1
Model Payen  P2
1894

 
The family loses the management of the Groupe Aigle-Soleil

 
 
1896

 
The arithmometer box is fitted with an inclining system

 
The Senate rejects income tax!
Model Payen P3
1900

 
Gold medal at the Universal Exhibition

 
The corset becomes more supple ....
Patent N° 394.781 of 6th  December, 1907
1912

 
The city of Colmar names one of its streets after Charles-Xavier Thomas!

 
The Bonnot gang is eliminated. The postman, Cheval, has finished his palace ...
1915

 
Sale of the Maison Payen to Alphonse Darras

 
 
Inventory Daras 1915
What remains in the workshops at 16, rue de la Tour des Dames
1915

 
Darras inventory including the workshops at 16 rue de la Tour des Dames

 
 
1920

June

Exhibition of calculating machines at the Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale for the centenary of the arithmometer.

 
Supression of abortion. Lebanon is created by France .
1931

 
A bust of Thomas par Clésinger, a replica of the bronze one which decorated the board room of Soleil-Aigle, is given to the town of Colmar .

 
Colonial Exhibition.
 

 

www.arithmometre.org
2013