Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov

About

Soviet-era mathematician who contributed to the mathematics of probability theory, topology, classical mechanics, algorithmic information theory, and computational complexity. He died in 1987, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Before Fame

He graduated from high school in Moscow in 1920. Later that same year, he started college at Moscow State University. By 1922, he'd dedicated himself to mathematics.

Trivia

During World War II he contributed to the Russian war effort by applying statistical theory to artillery fire, developing a scheme of stochastic distribution of barrage balloons intended to help protect Moscow from German bombers.

Family Life

He was born in Tambov, about 300 miles from Moscow. His unmarried mother, Maria Kolmogorova, died giving birth to him. He was raised by two of his aunts at the estate of his grandfather, a well-to-do nobleman. His aunt officially adopted him in 1910 and moved them to Moscow.

Associated With

His contributions to mathematics put him in league with other mathematicians such as Paul Erdos, John von Neumann, and Alexander Grothendieck.