1884-1944

American Mathematician

Founder of the modern theory of dynamical systems, which investigates the interrelation of separate motions in individual bodies and their impact on one another, George David Birkhoff is considered one of the most significant mathematicians of the twentieth century. Continuing the work of the distinguished French mathematician Jules Henri Poincaré (1854-1912) on celestial mechanics, he first attracted international attention when in 1913 he proved a geometrical theorem that Poincaré had proposed but not proved. He also made contributions in the study or relativity, quantum mechanics, and the four-color theorem, and developed a mathematical theory of aesthetics.

Birkhoff was born in Oversiel, Michigan, on March 21, 1884, the eldest of six children born to David Birkhoff, a physician, and his wife Jane Droppers Birkhoff. When he was two years old, his family moved to Chicago, where they lived during most of his childhood.

He studied...