Origins & Early Life

Dan Shechtman (Hebrew: דן שכטמן; born January 24, 1941) is an Israeli chemist, the Philip Tobias Professor of Materials Science at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, an Associate of the US Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory, and Professor of Materials Science at Iowa State University. On April 8, 1982, while on sabbatical at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., Shechtman discovered the icosahedral phase, which opened the new field of quasiperiodic crystals, also referred to as "quasicrystals." For this discovery, he was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, making him one of six Israelis who have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dan Shechtman was born in 1941 in Tel Aviv, in what was then Mandatory Palestine; the city became part of the new state of Israel in 1948.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He grew up in Petah Tikva and Ramat Gan in a Jewish family. His grandparents had immigrated to Palestine during the Second Aliyah (1904–1914) and founded a printing house. As a child, Shechtman was fascinated by Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island (1874), which he read many times. His childhood dream was to become an engineer like the main...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Adnan Khayr Allah — Contemporary (Born in 1941) (1941): Iraqi military officer and former Minister of Defense, closely connected to the ruling family.
• Alan Mullery — Contemporary (Born in 1941) (1941): Iconic English footballer and manager known for his time at Fulham and Spurs.
• Alfonso XIII — Contemporary (Died in 1941) (1941): King of Spain (1886-1931), whose reign spanned constitutional crises and republican upheaval.
• Amedeo Modigliani — Shared historical date (01-24 · Died) (1920): Italian painter and sculptor known for elongated, modern portraits and nudes.
• B. V. Doshi — Shared historical date (01-24 · Died) (2023): Pioneering Indian architect celebrated for modernist and brutalist design.
• Ali Hassan al-Majid — Historical peer (Born in 1941) (1941): Notorious Iraqi military figure, cousin of Saddam Hussein, known for brutal repression.
• Andrei Mironov (actor) — Historical peer (Born in 1941) (1941): Iconic Soviet stage and film actor, celebrated for roles in popular Russian cinema.
• 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament — Historical peer (Born in 1982) (1982): The 44th annual NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
• Alan Ritchson — Historical peer (Born in 1982) (1982): American actor known for roles in Reacher, Titans, and superhero franchises.
• Amy Winehouse — Historical peer (Died in 2011) (2011): Iconic British soul artist blending jazz, R&B, and retro sounds.
• 1941 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1941
• January 24 (01-24) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on January 24