Re: Why some mathematical "ancestry" in U.S. trace back to Germany?

Herman Rubin wrote:
In article <50keojF1gdfcmU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Bob Kolker <nowhere@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Gvnaena Pura wrote:

Recently I have been searching for mathematical ancestries of all
mathematicians that I person know on the Mathematics Genealogy website
(which tells you who's whose doctoral adviser). These mathematicians
that I searched for are mostly in U.S., but it seems trace back several
generation (in student-adviser sense) it always end up in Germany.

Is there any reason for this? Thanks!

The U.S. did not become a major player in the theoretical realm until the middle of the 20-th century. Before that if someone wanted to become a theoretical physicists or a mathematician he had to go to Europe. Before the Nazis, the best universities were in Germany and Switzerland.

I disagree. The US became a major player in the first half
of the 20th century. I would rate the countries, as of 1930
before Germany kicked out many, as Germany, France, US, England,
Italy, with Switzerland, Russia, Netherlands, and Scandinavia
as being of considerable importance.

In fact, in probability, it was only France, Russia, Netherlands,
and Scandinavia before then, with the US catching up, and in
statistics, it was England, Scandinavia, and the US after Neyman
came in the 30s. Neyman was Polish.


Well i guess Bob Kolkers statement (if taken literally) is a bit exaggerated. There has been a "brain drain" from Europe to the US ever since the first british settlers landed in Jamestown. However mathematician weren't a part of that until the 20th century. I guess it fair to say, that this "brain drain" did not start with the nazi takeover of Germany/Europe but it dramatically increased.
And anyhow every developed/industrialized is posed to generate mathematicians at some point and so did the US on its own in the 20th century as well.

btw i'd include Hungary,Poland and Japan in your list above as well (as far as the first half of the 20th century goes)


The U.S. became a theoretical superpower after the Nazis destroyed their intellectual establishment. Many of the top flight theoretricians fled to Britain and the United States. That is how we got the brain power to build the A-bomb first.

The Nazis scooped their own brains out with a runcible spoon.

Bob Kolker


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