The figure of the Canarian physicist Blas Cabrera Felipe (1878-1945) is not sufficiently recognized, despite being considered the "father of Spanish physics" and rubbing shoulders in the early decades of the 20th century with luminaries of international science such as Niels Bohr, Marie Curie, Erwin Schrödinger, and Albert Einstein. The Spanish Civil War and his exile in Mexico derailed his career and plunged his memory into obscurity, which in recent years has begun to dissipate thanks to several advocacy efforts supported by the University of La Laguna. The latest of these was the premiere yesterday, Tuesday, February 11, at the Teatro Leal in La Laguna, of "Blas Cabrera. History of Physics," a documentary produced by the University of La Laguna that reviews his career and main scientific achievements.
The premiere was attended by, among other authorities, the Rector of the University of La Laguna, Francisco García; the Minister of Universities, Science and Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Migdalia Machín; the Councilor for Education and Youth of the La Laguna City Council, Sergio Eiroa; the Councilor for Innovation, Research and Development, Juan José Martínez, and the Councilor for Culture, José Carlos Acha, of the Tenerife Island Council; the Vice-Rector for Culture and University Extension, Isabel León; the Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer, Antonio Aparicio; the Dean of Sciences, María del Mar Afonso; the President of the Juan Negrín Foundation, José Medina; and the Honorary Consul of Mexico in Tenerife, María de los Ángeles Baca, as well as a large audience that filled a good part of the Teatro Leal.
The 52-minute film was directed by filmmaker Raúl Jiménez, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jorge Méndez, a professor in the Physics Department at the University of La Laguna, who also served as the production's scientific advisor. A shorter, 35-minute version has also been prepared for distribution to schools in the Canary Islands for educational purposes. In addition, the documentary premiered yesterday. will be presented On March 4th at 6:00 PM at the headquarters of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Spain, in Madrid, led by its president, Ana Crespo from Tenerife
The presentation also served as a tribute to Luis Blas Cabrera, grandson of Blas Cabrera, who passed away just two weeks before the documentary's premiere. He was a great champion of recovering his grandfather's memory and legacy and features prominently among the testimonies included in the documentary.
The event was presented by Sergio Eiroa, Councilor for Education and Youth of the La Laguna City Council, with remarks from Raúl Jiménez and Jorge Méndez. Both highlighted the documentary's value as an educational tool for introducing Blas Cabrera to younger generations and as a vehicle for his message. “We can achieve greatness in science and reach the highest levels, as Blas Cabrera's example shows us. Knowing who we were and what we have been capable of doing allows us to look to the present and the future with greater hope and pride. And it is a source of pride to have a full theater to see science,” added Méndez.
The documentary is a journey through the life and contributions of Blas Cabrera Felipe, from his humble beginnings in Lanzarote and La Laguna and his consolidation in Madrid, to becoming a prominent physicist of international renown, forming part of the elite of European science of his time. It narrates key moments in his career and personal life, from Einstein's historic visit to Madrid in 1923 to his participation in the legendary Solvay Conferences, including the purges following the Spanish Civil War and his exile and death in Mexico in 1945. It also delves into the recovery of his memory and his unpublished handwritten legacy, including the repatriation of his remains to La Laguna in Tenerife in 2022 and the recent renaming of the Blas Cabrera Institute of Physical Chemistry in his honor by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
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