1963: Dr. Theodore von Kármán, sometimes called the Father of Astronautics, died at Aachen, West Germany, a few days before his 82d birthday. Theodore von Kármán, born Tivadar Mihály Kármán, was a Hungarian American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who worked in aeronautics and astronautics. He was responsible for crucial advances in aerodynamics characterizing supersonic and hypersonic airflow. The human-defined threshold of outer space is named the “Kármán line” in recognition of his work. Kármán is regarded as an outstanding aerodynamic theoretician of the 20th century.
