Most visitors to Denmark know of Hans Christian Andersen, the writer, but another one, Hans Christian Ørsted deserves more recognition.
Ørsted was a Danish physicist and chemist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields, an important aspect of electromagnetism. He is credited with shaping post-Kantian philosophy and advances in science throughout the late 19th century.
The oersted (Oe), the cgs unit of magnetic H-field strength, is named after him. Ørstedsparken is a public park in central Copenhagen and named after this great Dane.
-RS
