Born: 3 March 1845 · Died: 6 January 1918 · Age at death: 72
How old was Georg Cantor when he died?
Georg Cantor died aged 72. He was born on 3 March 1845 and died on 6 January 1918.
German mathematician who created set theory and proved that some infinities are larger than others
Did you know?He faced significant mental health struggles throughout his life, partly due to the intense criticism he received for his mathematical theories.
Quick facts
Date of birth3 March 1845
Date of death6 January 1918
Age at death72
Cause of deathMyocardial infarction
NationalityGerman
BirthplaceSaint Petersburg, Russia
Occupationmathematician, philosopher, university teacher
Editor's Take:
Georg Cantor showed that there are different sizes of infinity. Born in St Petersburg, he moved to Germany as a boy and spent his career at the University of Halle. He founded set theory, which now underpins much of mathematics. He proved that the real numbers cannot be listed one by one, so they form a larger infinity than the whole numbers. Some leading mathematicians attacked his ideas fiercely. He suffered bouts of severe depression. David Hilbert later declared that no one would expel mathematicians from "the paradise Cantor created".
Key Milestones
1874: Set theory – founding paper
1878: Continuum hypothesis – proposed
1883: Foundations of set theory
1891: Diagonal argument – proof
Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor ( KAN-tor; German:; 3 March 1845 – 6 January 1918) was a mathematician who played a pivotal role in the creation of set theory, which has become a fundamental theory in mathematics.
Georg Cantor's birthday is March 3. He was born on March 3, 1845 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
How old was Georg Cantor when he died?
Georg Cantor died on January 6, 1918, aged 72.
Who shares a birthday with Georg Cantor?
Famous people who share Georg Cantor's March 3 birthday include Alexander Graham Bell, Benedict of Nursia, Mikhail Mishustin, Camila Cabello and Jessica Biel.
