Born: 15 December 1859 · Died: 14 April 1917 · Age at death: 57
How old was L. L. Zamenhof when he died?
L. L. Zamenhof died aged 57. He was born on 15 December 1859 and died on 14 April 1917.
Polish-Jewish eye doctor who invented Esperanto in 1887, hoping a shared easy language would bring peace between peoples
Did you know?He was an eye doctor by profession and developed the language in his spare time.
Quick facts
Date of birth15 December 1859
Date of death14 April 1917
Age at death57
NationalityPolish
BirthplaceBiałystok, Poland
Occupationlinguist, ophthalmologist, inventor
Editor's Take:
L. L. Zamenhof created Esperanto. He grew up in Białystok, a city of many languages and tensions. He believed a common language could reduce hatred between peoples. In 1887 he published the first Esperanto textbook. Its grammar is simple and regular. Esperanto spread around the world. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize many times. Today Esperanto still has an active community of speakers, and his birthday, 15 December, is celebrated by them as Zamenhof Day.
Key Milestones
1878: First draft of a world language
1887: Unua Libro – Esperanto launched
1905: First congress – Boulogne-sur-Mer
1905: Fundamento – rules of Esperanto
L. L. Zamenhof (15 December 1859 – 14 April 1917) was the creator of Esperanto, the most widely used constructed international auxiliary language. Zamenhof published Esperanto in 1887, although his initial ideas date back as far as 1873.
