Born: 23 November 1837 · Died: 8 March 1923 · Age at death: 85
How old was Johannes Diderik van der Waals when he died?
Johannes Diderik van der Waals died aged 85. He was born on 23 November 1837 and died on 8 March 1923.
Nobel Prize-winning physicist known for his work on gases
Did you know?He did not follow a typical academic path and worked as a primary school teacher to support his early studies.
Quick facts
Date of birth23 November 1837
Date of death8 March 1923
Age at death85
NationalityDutch
BirthplaceLeiden, Netherlands
Occupationphysicist, chemist, mathematician
Editor's Take:
Johannes van der Waals began as a self-taught schoolteacher and ended as a Nobel laureate. His doctoral thesis offered a new equation for real gases. It took into account the size of molecules and the weak forces between them. That simple step explained how gases turn into liquids. The weak attractions he described are now called van der Waals forces. They matter everywhere, from geckos clinging to walls to the folding of proteins. His work guided later research into very cold liquids.
Key Milestones
1873: Presents his famous doctoral thesis
1877: Becomes professor in Amsterdam
1880: States the law of corresponding states
1910: Wins the Nobel Prize in Physics
Johannes Diderik van der Waals (Dutch:; 23 November 1837 – 8 March 1923) was a Dutch theoretical physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1910 "for his work on the equation of state for gases and liquids." Van der Waals started his career as a schoolteacher, before becoming the first physics professor of…
When is Johannes Diderik van der Waals's birthday?
Johannes Diderik van der Waals's birthday is November 23. He was born on November 23, 1837 in Leiden, Netherlands.
How old was Johannes Diderik van der Waals when he died?
Johannes Diderik van der Waals died on March 8, 1923, aged 85.
Who shares a birthday with Johannes Diderik van der Waals?
Famous people who share Johannes Diderik van der Waals's November 23 birthday include Franklin Pierce, Miley Cyrus, Nicolás Maduro, Joan Fuster and Otto I the Great.
