May 7, 1963

On This Day in History /
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. Read more about Kármán:
M. H. Gorn, The Universal Man: Theodore von Kármán’s Life in Aeronautics (Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, 1992).  
https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AUPress/Books/B_0044_DASO_ARCHITECTS_AIR_SUPREMACY.pdf