May 28

Noah Webster was born in Connecticut in 1758 and became a leading figure in American education. He published his first speller and grammar textbooks, aiming to unify American English. In 1828, he released An American Dictionary of the English Language, which standardized spelling and usage. His work promoted an independent American identity through language reform and education. Webster’s dictionary remained the standard reference in the United States for decades. He passed away in 1843, leaving a lasting impact on American linguistics and scholarship.

Simion Bărnuţiu was born in 1808 in the Principality of Transylvania and educated in law and history. He became a prominent advocate for Romanian national rights under Habsburg rule. During the 1848 revolutions, he served as a political leader and speaker for the Romanian National Assembly. He lectured on constitutional law and inspired a generation of Romanian intellectuals. After the uprisings he taught at universities and continued to publish on history and politics. Bărnuţiu’s work laid intellectual foundations for modern Romanian statehood before his death in 1864.

Ivan Franko was born in 1856 in the Austrian-ruled Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. He studied philosophy and economics, becoming one of Ukraine’s first professional scholars. A prolific writer, he published poems, novels, plays, and articles advocating for national awakening. As a journalist, he edited influential newspapers and promoted social reform and cultural revival. He translated major works from world literature into Ukrainian, enriching its literary heritage. Franko’s blend of scholarship and creativity made him a founding father of modern Ukrainian identity until his death in 1916.

Alfred Adler was born in Vienna in 1870 and trained as a medical doctor. He initially worked as an ophthalmologist before turning to psychiatry under Freud’s influence. Breaking away from psychoanalysis, he developed individual psychology focused on social factors. He introduced concepts such as the inferiority complex and the striving for superiority. Adler’s work laid the groundwork for modern counseling and community psychology. He emigrated to Scotland and the United States before his death in 1937, leaving a global legacy.

Rolf Nevanlinna (1895–1980) was a Finnish mathematician who revolutionized the study of meromorphic functions with his value distribution theory. He introduced key concepts such as the characteristic function and deficiency to measure the growth of complex functions. His seminal work 'Leçons sur les fonctions méromorphes' laid the foundation for modern complex analysis. Nevanlinna served as a professor at the University of Helsinki and led several scientific organizations in Finland. In 1978, he was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in Mathematics. The International Mathematical Union established the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize in 1982 to honor his legacy in mathematical aspects of information science.

George Irving Bell was an American physicist and biologist with interests spanning multiple disciplines. His research in molecular biology and computational models contributed to the understanding of complex biological systems. He worked at national laboratories and collaborated with leading scientists of his era. Beyond the laboratory, Bell was a dedicated mountaineer, tackling challenging peaks around the world. His dual passions exemplified the fusion of scientific inquiry and personal adventure. He inspired colleagues and fellow climbers with his curiosity and determination.

Francisco Varela made foundational contributions to theoretical biology and cognitive science. He introduced the concept of autopoiesis to describe self-organizing living systems. Varela co-developed enactivism, emphasizing the role of embodied experience in cognition. He bridged neuroscience, philosophy, and anthropology through interdisciplinary research. Co-author of The Embodied Mind, he influenced debates on consciousness and the mind-body problem. His work continues to shape modern understandings of cognition and life.

Oleg Makarov trained as an engineer before being selected as a Soviet cosmonaut in 1963. He flew on the Soyuz 12, Soyuz 18, and Soyuz 27 missions, docking with early Salyut space stations. During his flights, Makarov conducted scientific experiments in microgravity. He contributed to the understanding of long-duration spaceflight and crew safety. After retiring from flight, he worked in mission control and trained future cosmonauts. He received high honors from the Soviet Union for his contributions to space exploration.

Ilya Prigogine was a Russian-Belgian physical chemist who revolutionized theoretical chemistry. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1977 for his work on dissipative structures in non-equilibrium systems. Prigogine's research showed how order can arise in complex systems driven far from equilibrium. He served as a professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and held positions at the University of Texas at Austin. His interdisciplinary studies bridged chemistry, physics, and philosophy of science. Prigogine authored numerous influential publications and mentored a new generation of scientists.

Born in 1918, Skou studied medicine at the University of Copenhagen and graduated in 1944. In 1957, he discovered the enzyme responsible for active transport of sodium and potassium ions across cell membranes, known as Na+/K+-ATPase. This breakthrough earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1997. He served as a professor at Aarhus University and published extensively on membrane physiology. His work laid the foundation for modern understanding of cellular transport mechanisms, profoundly impacting pharmacology and physiology. Skou remained active in research until his death in 2018.