Von Kármán, Theodore, 1881-1963 (Physicist, Aerodynamicist, Applied Mathematician)

Dates

• Existence: 1881 - 1963

Biographical/Historical

Background: Caltech Professor of Aeronautics and Director of the Daniel Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at Caltech (GALCIT), 1930-1949.

Biographical/Historical

Collection Notes: Papers, 1880s-1960s. The original collection includes more than 145,000 pages of letters, scientific manuscripts, reports, unpublished speeches, lecture notes, family papers, medals, and photographs.

Supplementary materials totaling 13 boxes were added in 1994 and include manuscript files on the Josephine de Kármán memorial trust and foundation, family material, a few technical reports and von Kármán's 1909 dissertation and and some correspondence. Also included is print material as well as a large amount of memorabilia in the form of medals, degrees, citations, artwork, and photographs. Microfilms of correspondence and other von Kármán materials at the US Air Force Academy are also available at the Institute Archives.

Collection size: 188 boxes, 81 linear ft.

Finding aid is available for this part of the collection (boxes 1-175) and the papers are also available on microfilm.

Photo of Theodore von Kármán (PhotoNet).

Found in 162 Collections and/or Records: