George D. Birkhoff House facts for kids
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George D. Birkhoff House
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 22 Craigie, Cambridge, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1912 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th century revivals |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000295 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 15, 1975 |
| Designated NHL | January 15, 1975 |
The George D. Birkhoff House is a special old house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1975 because a very important mathematician, George David Birkhoff, lived there. He was a professor at Harvard University and one of the smartest math minds of his time!
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About the George D. Birkhoff House
What the House Looks Like
This house has three stories and is made of wood. It has a special kind of roof called a mansard roof. We don't know exactly when it was built, but it was likely before the 1890s.
The outside of the house hasn't changed much since it was built. Inside, some parts have been updated. For example, one room now has a high, slanted ceiling, and new bathrooms have been added.
Why This House is Important
The George D. Birkhoff House is important because of its connection to George David Birkhoff. He lived here for eight years, from 1920 to 1928. Because of his amazing work in mathematics, the house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1975. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places that same year.
Who Was George David Birkhoff?
George David Birkhoff was born in Michigan in 1881. He loved math and studied it at the University of Chicago and Harvard University. In 1912, he started teaching math at Harvard. He stayed there for the rest of his life, until he passed away in 1944.
Birkhoff's Amazing Math Work
Birkhoff was a very important person in the world of mathematics. He solved a famous math problem called Henri Poincaré's "last geometric theorem." He also created something called the ergodic theorem. This theorem is very important for understanding how things change over time in statistical physics and other complex systems.
Honors and Awards
George David Birkhoff received almost every award a mathematician could get during his lifetime. He was truly a math superstar! Today, there is even a special award named after him, called the George David Birkhoff Prize, which honors great mathematicians.
