Constantin Carathéodory
The Greek mathematician Einstein came to for help — and who saved a library inside a burning city.
11 min
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About
On August 23, 1922, with Smyrna burning, the mathematician Constantin Carathéodory doesn't run for the ships — he turns back to save the library of the university he built and never got to open. A story about a former dam engineer who became one of the brightest minds in Europe, the Einstein who came knocking on his door, and an idea that was reborn a century later.
Sources
- MacTutor History of Mathematics, "Constantin Carathéodory" (University of St Andrews)
- "Constantin Carathéodory in Munich (1924–1945): moral courage and constraints under the Nazi Regime", Central European Journal of Operations Research (2025)
- naftemporiki.gr, "Το Πανεπιστήμιο Σμύρνης όνειρο του Καραθεοδωρή"
- sansimera.gr, "Κωνσταντίνος Καραθεοδωρή"