Memorials of Mathematicians in Moscow
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Ma. Louise Antonette De Las Pen ˜ as, Editor
Memorials of Mathematicians in Moscow MAGDOLNA HARGITTAI
AND ISTVAN
HARGITTAI
Does your hometown have any mathematical tourist attractions such as statues, plaques, graves, the cafe´ where the famous conjecture was made, the desk where the famous initials are scratched, birthplaces, houses, or memorials? Have you encountered a mathematical sight on your travels? If so, we invite you to submit an essay to this column. Be sure to include a picture, a description of its mathematical significance, and either a map or directions so that others may follow in your tracks.
â Submissions should be uploaded to http://tmin.edmgr.com or sent directly to Ma. Louise Antonette N. De Las Pen˜as, [email protected]. 1
ur recent book Science in Moscow1 stated boldly that the capital of Russia may have more memorials to scientists—statues, busts, reliefs, and memorial tablets—than any other city in the world. London may be a competitor, where the magnificent network of blue plaques and plaques of other colors considerably enhances the number of scientists remembered. The special interest distinguishing the Moscow memorials from those in London and other cities in the Western world is explained by the often secretive world of Soviet/Russian science. Here we introduce the reader to a sampler of the memorials to mathematicians and computer scientists in Moscow. The well-known tower of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), at 1 Lenin Hills, is by itself a memorial to science and learning. We will refer to it simply as Moscow University (or MSU), because it is not the only institution of higher learning bearing Lomonosov’s name, even in Moscow, let alone in Russia. The address also warrants clarification. The hills overlooking Moscow used to be called the Vorobyovy Gori (Sparrow Hills), and then in Soviet times, the Lenin Hills. Today, they are again the Sparrow Hills. However, names and addresses that did not exist in pre-Soviet times retained their earlier designations.2 The Lenin Hills campus of MSU opened in 1953. It and its surroundings were carefully planned to radiate grandeur, including a number of memorials to the greats of Russian science. To this we may add a caveat. There used to be claims ascribing many more discoveries and innovations to Russian scientists than the rest of the world was prepared to accept. In contrast, some unsubstantiated claims then caused disbelief and hesitation when genuine Russian contributions should have been recognized, even though there have been many of these. Furthermore, many Russian geniuses in the history of science remained unrecognized due to isolation and lack of international communication. There are examples of Russian and Soviet scientists who should have been inscribed in the roster of Nobel laureates. The very Soviet authorities that complained about anti-Soviet bias in the Nobel Prize institution hindered their scientists and their discoveries from entering the international scene. Ivan G. Petrovsky (1901–1973) has a rather
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