Hermann minkowski biography for kids

Biography

Hermann Minkowski's parents were Lewin Minkowski, a businessman, and Rachel Taubmann. Hermann was his parents' third son. Hermann's oldest brother Max (1844-1930) took over the family business, but he was also an art collector and the French consul in Königsberg.

The second brother Oskar (1858-1931) was a physician, best known for his work on diabetes, and father of astrophysicist Rudolph Minkowski (1895-1976).

Hermann minkowski biography for kids pictures

Apart from Max and Oskar, Minkowski also had an older sister, Fanny (1863-1954) and a younger brother, Toby (1873-1906). Lewin and Rachel Minkowski were Germans although their son Hermann was born while they were living in Russia.

When Hermann was eight years old the family returned to Germany and settled in Königsberg where Lewin Minkowski conducted his business.

Minkowski first showed his talent for mathematics while studying at the Gymnasium in Königsberg.

Already at this stage in his education he was reading the work of Dedekind, Dirichlet and Gauss. The o