Named reactions are key points in the development of chemistry.A ny competent chemist easily identifies the reaction named after Wittig, or Grignard, Diels-Alder,o r Friedel-Crafts,Michael,orFavorsky.But how muchdowecan say about scientist who discovered it?This Essay is devoted to the transition-metal-catalyzed hydration of acetylenic hydrocarbons discovered by Russian chemist Mikhail Kucherov. This reaction is one of the most straightforwardm ethods for the synthesis of carbonyl compounds.W ith it, in industry for al ong time acetaldehyde was essentially manufactured from accessible unsaturated raw material-acetylene.T his reaction is one of the first steps in the establishment of homogenous metal complex catalysis in organic synthesis.H erein, we described the history of this discovery and the role of many scientists in the development of research in this field. We would also like to showthe life of Russian scientists in the latter half of the 19th century.