Theodore von Kármán
11 May 1881 – 6 May 1963
Theodore von Kármán (1881-1963) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who was a pioneer in aeronautics and astronautics. He made major contributions to aerodynamics, supersonic and hypersonic flight, and co-founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Kármán line, the boundary commonly used to define the edge of space, is named after him.
Lived at the same time
Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Theodore von Kármán.
- Frances Perkins (1880–1965) Overlapped 82 years →
- Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) Overlapped 82 years →
- Eileen Gray (1878–1976) Overlapped 82 years →
- Lise Meitner (1878–1968) Overlapped 82 years →
- Otto Hahn (1879–1968) Overlapped 82 years →
- Pablo Casals (1876–1973) Overlapped 82 years →
Life events
Theodore von Kármán was born in Budapest into a Jewish family; his father was a prominent educator.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgVon Kármán completed his Ph.D. under Ludwig Prandtl, studying the buckling of columns and fluid dynamics.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHe mathematically analyzed the alternating pattern of vortices shed by a body in a fluid flow, now known as the Kármán vortex street.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgVon Kármán became director of the Aeronautical Institute at the RWTH Aachen in Germany.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgVon Kármán moved to California to direct the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgVon Kármán and his students established what became NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgVon Kármán helped found the Aerojet Engineering Corporation to develop rocket propulsion, including jet-assisted takeoff units.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHe established the Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development, promoting international aerospace cooperation.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgVon Kármán was awarded the inaugural National Medal of Science by President John F. Kennedy.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgVon Kármán died in Aachen, Germany, at the age of 81.
Source: en.wikipedia.org