ASTRONOMER

James Van Allen

1914 - 2006

Photo of James Van Allen

Icon of person James Van Allen

James Alfred Van Allen (September 7, 1914 – August 9, 2006) was an American space physicist at the University of Iowa. He was instrumental in establishing the field of magnetospheric research in space. The Van Allen radiation belts were named after him, following his discovery using Geiger–Müller tube instruments on the 1958 satellites (Explorer 1, Explorer 3, and Pioneer 3) during the International Geophysical Year. Van Allen led the scientific community in putting scientific research instruments on space satellites. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. James Van Allen is the 114th most popular astronomer (down from 108th in 2019), the 1,518th most popular biography from United States (down from 1,507th in 2019) and the 22nd most popular American Astronomer.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of James Van Allen by language

Loading...

Among ASTRONOMERS

Among astronomers, James Van Allen ranks 114 out of 644. Before him are Lewis A. Swift, August Kopff, Stephen Gray, Robert Luther, John Louis Emil Dreyer, and Annie Jump Cannon. After him are Petrus Plancius, Maria Margaretha Kirch, Heinrich Schwabe, Yrjö Väisälä, Abu-Mahmud Khojandi, and George Biddell Airy.

Most Popular Astronomers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1914, James Van Allen ranks 47. Before him are Jonas Salk, Renato Dulbecco, Agostino Casaroli, Robert Wise, Norman Borlaug, and Max Manus. After him are Vjekoslav Luburić, Norman Lloyd, Desmond Llewelyn, Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Akira Nozawa, and Koichi Oita. Among people deceased in 2006, James Van Allen ranks 54. Before him are Ahmet Ertegun, Nam June Paik, John Kenneth Galbraith, Shelley Winters, P. W. Botha, and Alexander Litvinenko. After him are Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prince George William of Hanover, Murray Bookchin, Hugh Thompson Jr., Ta Mok, and Mariska Veres.

Others Born in 1914

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2006

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, James Van Allen ranks 1,518 out of 20,380. Before him are Kary Mullis (1944), Jerry Bruckheimer (1943), Sarah Knauss (1880), Jerry Lee Lewis (1935), Francis Gary Powers (1929), and Arthur Ashe (1943). After him are Clifford D. Simak (1904), John Gotti (1940), William Gibson (1948), Pitbull (1981), Al Jarreau (1940), and Joseph Kosuth (1945).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among ASTRONOMERS In United States

Among astronomers born in United States, James Van Allen ranks 22. Before him are Eugene Merle Shoemaker (1928), George O. Abell (1927), Henry Norris Russell (1877), Edward Charles Pickering (1846), Lewis A. Swift (1820), and Annie Jump Cannon (1863). After him are Frank Drake (1930), Maria Mitchell (1818), Carolyn S. Shoemaker (1929), William Henry Pickering (1858), Eleanor F. Helin (1932), and Harlow Shapley (1885).

American born Astronomers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous