Willem Jacob van Stockum facts for kids
Willem Jacob van Stockum (born November 20, 1910 – died June 10, 1944) was a very smart Dutch mathematician. He made important discoveries that helped shape the early ideas of general relativity, which is Albert Einstein's theory about gravity. He was also a brave pilot during World War II.
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Willem's Early Life and Studies
Willem van Stockum was born in a town called Hattem in the Netherlands. His father was a skilled officer in the Dutch Navy. In the late 1920s, Willem's family moved to Ireland.
There, Willem studied mathematics at Trinity College in Dublin. He was so good that he won a special gold medal! Later, he continued his studies, earning a master's degree from the University of Toronto in Canada. He then got his Ph.D. (a very high degree) from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in 1937.
His Big Idea About Gravity
In the mid-1930s, Willem became very interested in general relativity. This was a brand new theory about gravitation (gravity) at the time. In 1938, he published an important paper.
In this paper, he showed one of the first clear examples of how a spinning object creates a gravitational field. This idea is now known as the van Stockum dust. It's still a famous example because it's simple but shows complex things. Willem was also one of the first to notice something very strange in his work: the possibility of closed timelike curves. This is a mind-bending idea that suggests time might loop back on itself, like a path that leads back to where it started!
Joining the Fight for Freedom
Willem wanted to learn even more about gravity. He traveled to the United States, hoping to study with Albert Einstein himself! In 1939, he got a temporary job at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
But then, World War II started. Willem was teaching at the University of Maryland when he heard about the war. He really wanted to help fight against Hitler. So, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. By July 1942, he had earned his pilot's wings.
Because he knew so much about physics, he spent a lot of time in Canada as a test pilot. He would fly new planes to make sure they worked correctly. After the Netherlands was invaded by Hitler's forces, Willem wanted to join the war as a combat pilot.
Finally, he was able to transfer to the Dutch Air Force (which was operating from outside the Netherlands). In 1944, he became the only Dutch officer in No. 10 Squadron of the RAF Bomber Command. This group was based in Yorkshire, England. They flew large Halifax bombers on missions over Europe.
A Hero's Sacrifice
On June 10, 1944, Willem and his crew of six took off for their sixth combat mission. They were part of a huge group of 400 planes. Near their target, their plane was hit by flak (anti-aircraft fire). Sadly, all seven crew members, including Willem, were lost. Another bomber on the same mission was also hit, and its seven crew members were lost too.
These fourteen brave airmen are buried in Laval, France, near where their planes went down. Willem Jacob van Stockum was a brilliant scientist and a courageous hero who gave his life for freedom.
