Wilhelm Carl Werner Otto Fritz Franz Wien (1864 - 1928)

Born 13 Jan 1864 in Gaffken, Fischhausen, Ostpreußen, Preußen, Deutscher Bund

Ancestors

Died 30 Aug 1928 at age 64 in München, Bayern, Deutsches Reich

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Biography

Wilhelm Wien is Notable.

Wilhelm Wien was a German physicist. He primarily researched the laws of thermal radiation and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1911.

Wilhelm was born in 1864 in Gaffken, East Prussia (today Parusnoye, Russia). He was the son of landowner Carl Wien and his wife Caroline, née Gertz. In 1866 his parents moved to Drachenstein near Rastenburg/East Prussia.^[1] Beginning in 1879, Wilhelm attended high school ("Gymnasium") in Rastenburg (today Kętrzyn, Poland). From 1880 to 1882 he attended the Altstädtisches Gymnasium in Königsberg.^[2]

In 1882 he began studying mathematics and natural sciences in Göttingen. He continued his studies in 1883-1884 as a student of mathematics and physics in Berlin under Hermann von Helmholtz. The summer semester of 1884 he spent at the University of Heidelberg, taking a course by Georg Hermann Quincke.^[3] Back in Berlin he completed his doctorate in 1886 with a dissertation titled "On the Diffraction of Light by Photographically Reduced Gratings". In 1892 he habilitated at the University of Berlin.^[4] From 1892 to 1896 he was an associate professor ("Privatdozent") at Berlin University.^[5]

In 1896 Wilhelm Wien moved to Aachen, where he was appointed professor of physics, succeeding Philipp Lenard.^[6] Here he met Luise Mehler, the daughter of a cloth manufacturer. Wilhelm Wien and Luise Mehler married soon after. They had four children:^[7]

• Gerda,
• Waltraut,
• Karl,
• Hildegard.

In 1899 Wilhelm and his family moved to Gießen, where he was appointed professor of physics.^[6][7] In 1900 Wien succeeded Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen as a professor in Würzburg. In 1911 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on thermal radiation. From 1913 to 1914 he was rector of the University of Würzburg.^[4]

In 1920 he was appointed professor of physics at the University of Munich, where he again succeeded Röntgen and remained throughout the rest of his life.^[6] He was rector of the university from 1925 to 1926.^[4]

Wilhelm Wien passed away in 1928.^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ English Wikipedia article on Wilhelm Wien
2. ↑ German Wikipedia article on Wilhelm Wien
3. ↑ MacTutor: Wilhelm Carl Werner Otto Fritz Franz Wien
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg: Wilhelm Wien. Biografie
5. ↑ Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin: Biografie, Wilhelm Wien
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Wilhelm Wien – Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Tue. 17 Jan 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1911/wien/biographical/
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg: Familienvater. Ein Mann mit vielen Facetten: Wilhelm (Willy) Wien als Familienvater, Dichter und Denker
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 05 January 2021), memorial page for Wilhelm Wien (13 Jan 1864–30 Aug 1928), Find A Grave: Memorial #134229831, citing Waldfriedhof München, Grosshadern, Stadtkreis München, Bavaria (Bayern), Germany ; Maintained by Find A Grave.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q57068
• Wilhelm Wien – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Mon. 16 Jan 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1911/wien/facts/
• Encyclopedia.com: Wien, Wilhelm Carl Werner Otto Fritz Franz