Kármán, Theodore (Todor) von (1881-1963)

Hungarian-born US physicist and aeronautical engineer. He directed the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology 1930-49. He was a founder of the Aerojet Engineering Corporation (1942), the RAND Corporation (1948), and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and gave direction to the early stages of the US rocket and space programmes. He received the first National Medal of Science in 1963.

He was born in Budapest. While spending most of his early career at German educational institutions, he advised many governments and firms on issues of aerodynamics and applied mechanics.