September 30

Born in 1800 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Luzzatto moved to Italy and became a leading figure in the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah). He authored poetry in Hebrew, Italian, and Latin, reflecting his multicultural scholarship. As a philologist, he produced critical editions of Biblical texts and wrote on Jewish history and philosophy. Luzzatto founded a seminary in Padua and influenced generations of Jewish scholars. He died in 1865, remembered for bridging traditional Jewish learning with modern academic methods.

Born in 1838, Maurice Lévy combined his expertise in mathematics and engineering to address complex industrial problems. His research focused on developing mathematical methods applicable to mechanical and civil engineering. Lévy published papers that influenced both academic and industrial circles in France. He exemplified the integration of pure theory with hands-on design throughout his career. Lévy remained active in scholarly publications until his death in 1910, leaving a legacy of interdisciplinary innovation.

Born in Berlin in 1864, Franz Oppenheimer became a prominent scholar in sociology and political economy. His most influential work, The State, examined the origins of political power and advocated for cooperative economic structures. Oppenheimer argued that the state emerged through conquest and coercion, contrasting with voluntary forms of social organization. He held professorships at several German universities before fleeing Nazi persecution and settling in the United States. In America, he continued teaching and writing on social theory until his death in 1943. Oppenheimer's contributions laid the groundwork for later discussions on state formation and social justice.

Born in Montmagny, Quebec, in 1888, Onésime Gagnon was a respected historian and educator before entering politics. He was elected to the Quebec Legislative Assembly and held ministerial positions focusing on cultural and educational affairs. In 1950, Gagnon was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, representing the Crown until 1959. During his tenure, he championed the arts, education, and the preservation of French Canadian heritage. After his vice-regal service, he returned to academia, lecturing and writing until his death in 1961. Gagnon's legacy endures through his scholarly works and dedication to public service.

Born in 1900 in Ohio, Charles Francis Richter was a pioneering seismologist at the California Institute of Technology. In 1935, he collaborated with Beno Gutenberg to introduce the Richter magnitude scale, revolutionizing earthquake measurement. Richter’s scale provided a standardized way to compare the size of seismic events worldwide. He authored several influential textbooks and research papers that advanced the understanding of seismic waves. Beyond seismology, he was an avid amateur musician and composer. Richter passed away on September 30, 1985, and his scale remains a foundational tool in earthquake science.

Born in Budapest in 1908, Nicholas Kaldor became a leading figure in postwar economic thought. He formulated the Kaldor growth laws, which linked economic growth to capital accumulation and distribution. Kaldor’s work on income distribution and aggregate production functions influenced Keynesian economics. He served as an economic advisor to the British government and held professorships at Cambridge. Kaldor was a prolific writer, producing numerous books and articles on economic theory and policy. He passed away on September 30, 1986, and his ideas continue to shape modern macroeconomics.

André Michel Lwoff was born in Aïnay-le-Château, France, in 1902 and studied medicine at the University of Paris. At the Pasteur Institute, he investigated the mechanisms of bacterial growth and viral infection. Lwoff’s research on lysogenic bacteriophages elucidated how viruses integrate into host genomes and control gene expression. In 1965, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alongside François Jacob and Jacques Monod. His work laid the foundation for modern molecular biology and genetic regulation. Lwoff served as a professor at the Collège de France and influenced generations of scientists through his teaching and leadership.

Born in Montreal in 1943, Ralph M. Steinman was a pioneering immunologist and biologist. He served as a professor at Rockefeller University where he identified dendritic cells in 1973. His discovery transformed our understanding of how the immune system recognizes foreign pathogens. Steinman's work laid the scientific foundation for modern vaccine development and immunotherapies. In October 2011, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, becoming the first laureate to be honored posthumously. His research continues to influence immunology and cancer treatment to this day.

Born in Brooklyn in 1917, Barry Commoner became a towering figure in environmental science and policy. As a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, he conducted pioneering research on the ecological impact of pollutants. Commoner founded the Citizens Party in 1979 and ran for U.S. President in 1980 to promote environmental reform. He argued for clean energy and emphasized the connections between industrial practices and public health. Throughout his career, Commoner championed grassroots activism and scientific literacy, leaving a lasting legacy on the environmental movement.

Born in New York City in 1927, Martin Lewis Perl made a groundbreaking discovery in particle physics by identifying the tau lepton in 1975. He conducted his research at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, where he developed innovative detection techniques. Perl’s work provided crucial evidence for the existence of a third generation of fundamental particles, expanding the Standard Model. In 1995, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this achievement. His contributions continue to influence experiments in high-energy physics and our understanding of the subatomic world.

Born in Rome in 1941, Guido Altarelli was a leading theoretical physicist who significantly advanced our understanding of the strong force. He co-developed the Altarelli-Parisi equations, which describe the evolution of quarks and gluons inside protons and neutrons. Altarelli held professorships at the University of Rome and CERN, mentoring generations of physicists. His work enabled precise predictions for high-energy particle collisions, vital for experiments at particle accelerators. Altarelli’s contributions remain fundamental to modern quantum chromodynamics and the study of the subatomic realm.

Vladimir Voevodsky was born in 1966 in Russia and made groundbreaking contributions to algebraic geometry and motivic homotopy theory. In 2002, he received the Fields Medal for developing new approaches to motivic cohomology. He held professorships at Harvard University and the Institute for Advanced Study, influencing the next generation of mathematicians. Voevodsky also advocated for formal proof verification using computer-assisted methods. His research reshaped modern mathematics before his death in 2017.