Elling Holst facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elling Holst
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| Born |
Elling Bolt Holst
19 July 1849 |
| Died | 2 September 1915 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Alma mater | University of Oslo |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | University of Oslo |
| Doctoral advisor | Sophus Lie |
Elling Bolt Holst was a smart Norwegian man who lived from 1849 to 1915. He was a mathematician, meaning he studied numbers and shapes. But he was also a writer, especially known for his books for children! He even wrote about the lives of other famous mathematicians.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Elling Holst was born in Drammen, a city in Norway. His father, Adolph Theodor Holst, was a bookseller, and his mother was Amalie Fredrikke Bergh.
Elling went to the University of Christiania, which is now called the University of Oslo. He studied mathematics there. A very famous mathematician named Sophus Lie was his teacher and helped him with his advanced studies. Elling finished his first degree in 1874.
After that, he continued his studies in Germany. There, he learned from other important mathematicians like Felix Klein. Later, Elling became a teacher at a school in Christiania (now Oslo). He finished his big research paper, called a thesis, in 1882.
A Career in Mathematics
Elling Holst started teaching mathematics at the University of Oslo in 1894. He wrote many important mathematical papers and even created course books to help students learn.
He also enjoyed writing about the lives of other mathematicians. He wrote biographies (life stories) about famous people like Cato Maximilian Guldberg, Carl Anton Bjerknes, Sophus Lie, and Niels Henrik Abel. This helped people learn about their amazing discoveries.
Writing for Children
Elling Holst is perhaps best known for his wonderful children's books. He created a series called Norsk Billedbog for Børn (Norwegian Picture Book for Children). These books came out in 1888, 1890, and 1903, and had beautiful pictures by Eivind Nielsen.
The first of these books is often called Norway's very first national picture book. Elling Holst loved to collect old, traditional poems and rhymes that children had sung for generations. Many of these, like "Ride, ride ranke" and "Bake kake søte," were first written down and published in his books. These rhymes are still very popular in Norway today!
His books also included poems by famous Norwegian writers like Henrik Wergeland, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, and Aasmund Olavsson Vinje.
Elling Holst wrote other children's books too. These include Julegodter for Børn (Christmas Treats for Children) from 1892, and A.B.C. for Skole og Hjem (ABC for School and Home) from 1893, which he wrote with Anna Rogstad. He also published a picture book called Fra Sæteren (From the Mountain Farm) in 1899, with pictures by Lisbeth Bergh.
Family and Recognition
Elling Holst was married twice. His first wife was Inger Skavlan. After she passed away, he married Marie Michelet in 1900.
For all his important work in mathematics and for children's literature, Elling Holst was honored in 1902. He was made a Knight, First Class, of the Order of St. Olav, which is a very special award in Norway.
