MISES, RICHARD VON

born April 19, 1883, Lemberg, Austria-Hungary [now Lviv, Ukraine] died July 14, 1953, Boston Austrian-born American mathematician and aerodynamicist who notably advanced statistics and the theory of probability. Von Mises' scientific and mathematical contributions range widely. His early work centred on aerodynamics, in which he made fundamental advances in boundary-layer-flow theory and airfoil design. In 1915 he constructed a 600-horsepower airplane for the Austrian army and served in it as a pilot during World War I. Von Mises was a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Strassburg (190918), and in 1920 he became professor of applied mathematics and director of the Institute for Applied Mathematics at the University of Berlin. After the Nazi Party gained power, he left Germany in 1933 to accept a post with the University of Istanbul. In 1939 he joined the staff of Harvard University, where in 1944 he became Gordon McKay professor of aerodynamics and applied mathematics. Von Mises' primary work in statistics concerned the theory of measure and applied mathematics. He also wrote a philosophical work, Positivism: A Study in Human Understanding (1951), summarizing his views on science and life.