1/22/1908, Born, Baku, Azerbaijan, Russian Empire, son of engineer and physician. 

Recognized early as a child prodigy in math.












1922-24, Baku U., Physics and Chemistry.
1924-27, Leningrad State U., PhD 1927.
1926-29, Researcher, Leningrad Technical Institute
-introduced density matrix to quantum mechanics
1929-31, Copenhagen, Gottingen, Leipzig.
Bohr was major influence on direction of his work. 
1930, Behavior of Free Electrons in a Magnetic Field.  This work was essential for understanding properties of metals.  Paper gave him international fame.
1932-35, Head, Theory Division, Ukrainian Technical Institute, Kharkov.
1935-37, Gorki State U., Head Physics Dept.  Made school center of theoretical physics in USSR.
1936, Transport theory in plasmas.
1936, Formulation of general thermodynamic theory of phase transitions.
1937-68, Physical Institute of Academy of Sciences, Head Theory Division.
1938, Complete theory of “quantum liquids”
1940-41, Theory of super fluidity of the “Bose type”, specifically He4.
1940-41, Roton spectrum.

1946, Theory of Landau damping of electronic plasma oscillations.
1946, Membership in the Academy of Sciences, USSR.

1950, Ginsburg-Landau theory of
superconductivity.
1953, Relativistic hydrodynamic model of particle production in high-energy collisions.
1954-55, existence of Landau “ghosts” in QED.
1956-58, Theory of super fluidity of the “Fermi type”, specifically He3.
1957, Proposed 2 component neutrino and CP conversion in weak interactions.
1959, Landau singularities, analytic properties of scattering amplitudes.
1962, Sustained major head injury in traffic accident, which prevented him from performing any further creative work.
1962, Nobel Prize, “for pioneering theories of condensed matter, especially liquid helium (in absentia).


4/1/1968, Died, never having fully recovered from accident injuries.

Landau, one of the great figures of modern physics was an incredibly prolific theoretical physicist who produced much original work throughout his entire lifetime.  While he was not in charge of USSR’s nuclear bomb projects, he did contribute to their progress for which he received multiple decorations. Although internationally famous among fellow physicists, being a Russian during the “Cold War” limited his public exposure.

5/11/1918, Born, Far Rockaway, NYC. Oldest of 2 children in a middle class family of Jewish immigrants.
 Father, Melville, a salesman with thwarted desire to be a scientist.



At a very early age showed a high aptitude for math and a broad interest in all scientific subjects.  Experimented with building radio sets and other scientific experiments.  During high school, independently taught himself higher math.






1935-1939, MIT, B.Sc., Major in Physics.

1939-1942, Princeton, U, graduate studies.
1941-42, Princeton U., Manhattan Project
1942, PhD Thesis,” New approach to quantum mechanics using principle of least action.  Replaced wave model of electromagnetism with model based on particle interaction in space-time.  This work was the basis for much of his future work in QED.
1943-45, Los Alamos, Theoretical Div. Present at Trinity explosion.
1945-50, Cornell U., Prof. Theor. Phys., suffered a non-productive period.
1950-88, California Institute of Technology, Professor of Theoretical Physics.
 His main work in QED followed on from his thesis.  He introduced Feynman diagrams as graphic analogues of mathematical expressions needed to describe the behavior of systems of interacting particles.  He developed the “sum of all paths” method that produced an entirely new formalism to quantum mechanics.
-, Theory of super fluidity of liquid helium.
-, With M. Gell-Mann developed a theory of weak neutron decay which created a revelation of new laws of nature.
1962-65, Redesigned the undergraduate physics program at Caltech and lectured for two years. While not understood or appreciated by the under graduates, lectures were mostly attended by his colleagues. This effort resulted in the famous three book series of Feynman Lectures.
1965, Nobel Prize shared with Schwinger and Tomonaga.  “for their fundamental work in QED, with deep- ploughing consequences for the physics of electron particles”.

Feynman was widely known for his insatiable curiosity, gentle wit, brilliant mind and playful temperament.  He was one of the most original theoretical physicists of our time.  He disliked pomposity and ceremony.  However, he was somewhat of a dilettante who probably never produced up to the level of his brilliance because of his wide and scattered interests.  All his books and most his papers were written by others.

1980, Diagnosed and operated on for cancer.
1986, Member of Pres. Commission to investigate Challenger disaster. Through simple physical tests, demonstrated the problem causing the crash as opposed to other testimony.
2/15/1988, Died, UCLA Med. Ctr., cancer (69).