November 14

Abu'l-Fadl al-Bal'ami served as vizier to the Samanid rulers, overseeing state administration and diplomacy in the 10th century. He is celebrated for translating and adapting The History of al-Tabari into Persian, making historical knowledge accessible to a wider audience. His work, Tarikh-i Bal'ami, is the earliest surviving Persian prose chronicle and influenced subsequent Persian historiography. Bal'ami's literary skill and political acumen earned him a reputation as both a capable administrator and a learned scholar. His contributions bridged the cultural gap between Arab and Persian intellectual traditions during the Samanid renaissance.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was born in Leipzig in 1646 and became one of the most versatile thinkers of the 17th century. Independently of Isaac Newton, he developed differential and integral calculus and introduced notation still in use today. Leibniz invented early mechanical calculators and made advances in physics, metaphysics, and logic, most notably proposing the concept of monads in his work Monadology. He served as a diplomat and advisor at various European courts and maintained a prolific correspondence with scholars. His ideas laid the groundwork for modern mathematics, computer science, and analytic philosophy.

Born in 1709 in Germany, Georg Wilhelm Steller trained as a physician and naturalist. He joined Vitus Bering's Second Kamchatka Expedition in 1741 and voyaged to Alaska. Steller documented new species including the Steller's sea cow, sea eagle, and sea lion. His detailed observations expanded European understanding of North Pacific biodiversity. Suffering from scurvy, he died in 1746, but his publications continued to influence natural history.

Born in 1763 near Bayeux, Vauquelin trained as a pharmacist in Paris under prominent chemists. He collaborated with Fourcroy and Lavoisier, isolating chromium in 1797 and beryllium in 1798. His meticulous analytical methods set new standards for mineral and plant analysis. As a professor at the École de Pharmacie, he taught and inspired the next generation of chemists. Vauquelin's discoveries expanded the periodic table and shaped the field of inorganic chemistry.

Born in 1780 in Edinburgh, John Abercrombie graduated as a physician from the University of Edinburgh. He practiced medicine while exploring the connections between mind, body, and mental illness. Abercrombie authored Inquiries concerning the Intellectual Powers and The Philosophy of the Moral Feelings, integrating medical and philosophical insights. He served as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, influencing medical education. His interdisciplinary approach helped pave the way for modern psychiatry and the study of human cognition.

Born into slavery in Virginia in 1856, Booker T. Washington rose to prominence through education at the Hampton Institute. In 1881, he founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in Alabama to provide vocational training for Black Americans. His philosophy emphasized practical skills and economic self-sufficiency as paths to racial uplift. Washington authored his autobiography 'Up from Slavery' in 1901, which became a bestseller and shaped public perception of African American progress. He became a prominent advisor to U.S. presidents and spoke widely on education and race relations. Though criticized by some contemporaries for his accommodationist stance, his impact on American education and civil rights endures.

Robert E. Valett (1927 – November 14, 2008) was a psychologist and professor who specialized in learning disabilities and behavior disorders. He authored numerous textbooks and guides that became essential resources for teachers, parents, and clinicians. Valett played a key role in developing assessment tools to identify attention disorders in children. His research advanced understanding of educational strategies for students with special needs. He was honored by professional associations for his contributions to educational psychology.

Eugene Dynkin (1924–2014) made seminal contributions to the theory of Lie algebras and stochastic processes. Born in Leningrad, he earned his doctorate before emigrating to the United States. Dynkin diagrams became an essential tool in classifying complex algebraic structures. His work on Markov processes and potential theory deeply influenced modern probability. A professor at Cornell and Columbia, he guided generations of mathematicians with clarity and precision. Dynkin’s research bridged abstract algebra and applied probability, leaving a lasting legacy in both fields.