1891-1983

Russian mathematician who made contributions to number theory and worked on quadratic residues. After completing a master's degree at St. Petersburg in 1915, Vinogradov taught at the State University of Perm and the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute and University. In 1934 he was appointed the first director of the Steklov Institute in Moscow, a position he retained for the rest of his life. Although he left the Soviet Union only once to attend a mathematical conference in Edinburgh, many of the world's foremost mathematicians traveled to Moscow to visit him and discuss his research. Even today, work being done on the same types of problems studied by Vinogradov confirms his brilliance. Vinogradov was not only a mathematical genius, but a strong advocate of physical fitness. He was proud of his own athleticism and remained active and in good health well into his nineties.