Science · Literature · 1887–1961

Erwin Schrödinger — Age & Birthday

Born: 12 August 1887 · Died: 4 January 1961 · Age at death: 73

How old was Erwin Schrödinger when he died?

Erwin Schrödinger died aged 73. He was born on 12 August 1887 and died on 4 January 1961.

Austrian physicist who devised the wave equation of quantum mechanics, won the Nobel Prize and imagined the famous cat paradox

Did you know?He fled his native Austria in the 1930s because of his opposition to Nazism, eventually settling in Dublin for many years.

Editor's Take:

Schrödinger gave quantum physics one of its central tools and one of its most famous images. His wave equation, published in 1926, describes how tiny particles such as electrons behave, and it is still used every day by physicists and chemists. Uneasy with some interpretations of quantum theory, he invented the thought experiment of a cat that seems to be both alive and dead until someone looks. He meant it as a criticism, yet it became the most popular way to explain quantum weirdness. His short book What Is Life? also inspired the scientists who later discovered the structure of DNA.

Key Milestones

  1. 1914: Army service as an artillery officer
  2. 1926: The Schrödinger equation – published in Zurich
  3. 1927: Succeeds Max Planck at the University of Berlin
  4. 1933: Nobel Prize in Physics – shared with Paul Dirac

Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger (12 August 1887 – 4 January 1961), sometimes anglicised as Schroedinger or Schrodinger, was an Austrian theoretical physicist who developed fundamental results in quantum theory.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Profile

Erwin Schrödinger: The Physicist Behind the Wave Equation

Austrian Nobel Prize-winning physicist, born in Vienna on 12 August 1887

Erwin Schrödinger was born in Vienna on 12 August 1887 and studied physics at the city's university. He served as an artillery officer in the First World War.

In 1926, while working in Zurich, he published the Schrödinger equation, a cornerstone of quantum mechanics. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933 with Paul Dirac.

Opposed to the Nazis, he left Germany in 1933 and spent many years in Dublin at the Institute for Advanced Studies. His lecture series there became the book What Is Life?, and in 1935 he described the famous Schrödinger's cat thought experiment.

Career highlights

  1. 1887Born in Vienna
  2. 1914Army service: as an artillery officer
  3. 1926The Schrödinger equation: published in Zurich
  4. 1927Succeeds Max Planck: at the University of Berlin
  5. 1933Nobel Prize in Physics: shared with Paul Dirac
  6. 1935Schrödinger's cat: his famous thought experiment
  7. 1939Moves to Dublin: joining the new Institute for Advanced Studies
  8. 1944What Is Life?: influential book on biology and physics
  9. 1961Dies in Vienna: aged 73

Did you know?His wave equation is engraved on a memorial at the University of Vienna, and his image appeared on Austria's 1,000 schilling banknote.

Age at death
73
Would be
139
Years since death
65

Questions people ask

Frequently asked questions

When is Erwin Schrödinger's birthday?
Erwin Schrödinger's birthday is August 12. He was born on August 12, 1887 in Vienna, Austria.
How old was Erwin Schrödinger when he died?
Erwin Schrödinger died on January 4, 1961, aged 73.
Who shares a birthday with Erwin Schrödinger?
Famous people who share Erwin Schrödinger's August 12 birthday include François Hollande, George Soros, Jacinto Benavente, George IV of the United Kingdom and Mario Balotelli.

Born on the same day6

August 12 →
François Hollandeb. 1954

François Hollande

PoliticsAge 72
View profile Photo (modified): Web Summit · CC BY 2.0
George Sorosb. 1930

George Soros

BusinessAge 96
View profile Photo (modified): Aris Oikonomou - European Commission · CC BY 4.0
Jacinto Benavente1866–1954

Jacinto Benavente

LiteratureDied aged 87
View profile Photo (modified): Unknown author · Public domain
George IV of the United Kingdom1762–1830

George IV of the United Kingdom

RoyaltyDied aged 67
View profile Photo (modified): Thomas Lawrence · Public domain
Mario Balotellib. 1990

Mario Balotelli

SportsAge 36
View profile Photo (modified): Kamran Hussain · CC BY-SA 2.0
Pete Samprasb. 1971

Pete Sampras

SportsAge 55
View profile Photo (modified): Craig ONeal · CC BY-SA 2.0

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Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.

Last reviewed: October 2026