MATHEMATICIAN

Kenneth Appel

1932 - 2013

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Kenneth Ira Appel (October 8, 1932 – April 19, 2013) was an American mathematician who in 1976, with colleague Wolfgang Haken at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, solved the four-color theorem, one of the most famous problems in mathematics. They proved that any two-dimensional map, with certain limitations, can be filled in with four colors without any adjacent "countries" sharing the same color. The proof was controversial because it depended on thousands of computer calculations that could not be double-checked by hand, the first prominent example of such a process. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Kenneth Appel is the 880th most popular mathematician (down from 665th in 2019), the 9,677th most popular biography from United States (down from 5,780th in 2019) and the 69th most popular American Mathematician.

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Among MATHEMATICIANS

Among mathematicians, Kenneth Appel ranks 880 out of 1,004. Before him are Walther von Dyck, Michael Aschbacher, Andrzej Mostowski, Anatoly Maltsev, Ngô Bảo Châu, and Garrett Birkhoff. After him are James Lighthill, Adele Goldstine, Herman Chernoff, Juliusz Schauder, J. H. C. Whitehead, and Robin Hartshorne.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1932, Kenneth Appel ranks 466. Before him are Sidney Verba, Marguerite Pindling, Joe Arpaio, Peter Blake, Dany Carrel, and Max Streibl. After him are George Gruntz, Pál Gábor, Antonio Maspes, S. M. Krishna, Guido Vincenzi, and Sergio Caprari. Among people deceased in 2013, Kenneth Appel ranks 415. Before him are Abdul Quader Molla, Michel Brault, Irina Petrescu, Milo O'Shea, Mohamed Brahmi, and Donald Richie. After him are Magic Slim, George Gruntz, Andrei Panin, Carlos Graça, Alberto Bevilacqua, and Richard LeParmentier.

Others Born in 1932

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Kenneth Appel ranks 9,679 out of 20,380. Before him are Ellen Albertini Dow (1913), Jessica Capshaw (1976), Charles Walters (1911), Van Dyke Parks (1943), Jack McGee (1949), and Shane West (1978). After him are Maddie Ziegler (2002), Max Weinberg (1951), Alexander Patch (1889), Johnny Dodds (1892), Lyman Lemnitzer (1899), and Martin Johnson Heade (1819).

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Among MATHEMATICIANS In United States

Among mathematicians born in United States, Kenneth Appel ranks 69. Before him are Douglas McIlroy (1932), Robert Daniel Carmichael (1879), Marston Morse (1892), Tom M. Apostol (1923), Michael Aschbacher (1944), and Garrett Birkhoff (1911). After him are Adele Goldstine (1920), Herman Chernoff (1923), Robin Hartshorne (1938), Phillip Griffiths (1938), Erna Schneider Hoover (1926), and Gilbert Strang (1934).

American born Mathematicians

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