SCIENCE LEADERS UNDER FIRE

Transcription

1 Gresham College London 24 October 2018 David Aubin Sorbonne Université Institut de mathématiques de Jussieu Paris Rive Gauche SCIENCE LEADERS UNDER FIRE Stories about mathematicians killed in World War I

2 PAUL VIPLE ( ) Lycée du Mans, spring /10/2018 2

3 THE ÉCOLE NORMALE SUPÉRIEURE, CA /10/2018 3

4 Maurice Gevrey, «VIPLE (Paul), ne a Chateauneuf-les- Bains (Puy-de- Do me) le 2 aou t 1886, blesse sur le canal des Ardennes a Ambly-Fleury, le 25 octobre 1918, mort de ses blessures a l ambulance du Mont-Frenet (Marne), le 18 novembre Chevalier de la Le gion d honneur, de core de la croix de guerre. Promotion de 1906», AASAE, 1920, p /10/2018 DAVID.AUBIN@SORBONNE-UNIVERSITE.FR 4

5 THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN WORLD WAR I Wide perception of WWI as a «scientific war»: «Pretty much the whole curriculum of physical and natural sciences, and their applications, are each of them fundamentally essential in modern warfare.... Almost none could be spared and the war carried successfully» (Burgess, 1917). david.aubin@upmc.fr XI'AN CONFERENCE

6 A LOST GENERATION? In the great conflict of , [ ] the French [ ] considered that everyone should serve on the front, so much so that the young savants, as well as other Frenchmen, did their duty on the frontline. The result was a dreadful hecatomb among young French scientists (Dieudonné 1969). Already when at the [ÉNS], I had been deeply struck by the damage wreaked upon mathematics in France by the war. This war had created a vacuum that my own and subsequent generations were hard pressed to fill (Weil 1991). david.aubin@upmc.fr XI'AN CONFERENCE

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8 THE (UN)USEFULNESS OF MATHEMATICIANS Septembre 1915: «I am, in their eyes, nothing more than a mathematician, with no practical usefulness, other than occasionally serving as a computing machine» Jules Haag

9 GÂVRE COMMISSION Graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique. President of the Gâvre Commission since August 1914: all men but 5 officers sent to the front. General Prosper-Jules Charbonnier ( ) david.aubin@upmc.fr XI'AN CONFERENCE

10 SCIENTISTS AND OFFICERS AT THE GÂVRE COMMISSION

11 PAUL APPELL ( ) Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at the Sorbonne President of the Academy of Sciences President of the Commissions of Inventions for National Defence 25/10/

12 FOR TRUTH Published under the patronage of the Perpetual Secretaries of the Five Academies Émile Picard OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND THE PRETENTIONS OF GERMAN SCIENCE XI'AN CONFERENCE

13 PAUL PAINLEVÉ ( ) Minister of Education and Inventions for Natinal defence in 1915 Minsiter of War, 1917 Prime Minister, 1917 President of the Academy of Sciences, /10/

14 ÉMILE BOREL ( ) Scientific Director of the Ecole Normale Supérieure Director of Inventions for National Defence. 25/10/

15 PAUL PAINLEVÉ ( ) Minister of Education and Inventions for Natinal defence in 1915 Minsiter of War, 1917 Prime Minister, 1917 President of the Academy of Sciences, /10/

16 WAR MONUMENT (ÉCOLE NORMALE SUPÉRIEURE, PARIS) 25/10/

17 Promo Nom (Prénom) Régiment Date de naissance Date de la mort 1896 Clairin (Jean) 26 e RIT 13 nov août Merlin (Jean) 22 e RI 9 mai août Rousseau (Théophile) 227 e RI 23 avril avril Lery (Georges) 272 e RI 28 avril sept Martin (Eugène) 20 avril mars Blondel (Alphonse) 135 e RI 28 mars sept Klein (Henri) 167 e RI 29 nov juil Michel (Louis) 311 e RI 11 mai sept Aimé-Paillard (Louis) 117 e RI 22 mars sept Marty (Joseph) 38 e RIC 12 fév sept Andrieu (Martial) 153 e RI 31 déc avril Blum (Robert) 201 e RI 11 oct oct Viple (Paul) 6 e RG 11/63 2 août nov Gateaux (René) 269 e RI 5 mai oct Ballongue (Alfred) 2 e RZ 1 er juil avril Doncker (Henri) 247 e RI 24 fév sept Antoni (Camille) 81 e RI 13 août août Berthiot (Henri) 11 e BC 22 avril août Piglowski (Jean) 253 e RI 4 août fév Deffayet (Charles) 11 e BC 31 juil nov Lambert (Paul) 60 e RI 27 fév mars Vidil (Roger) 2 e RZ bis 1 er oct nov /10/2018 DAVID.AUBIN@SORBONNE-UNIVERSITE.FR 17

18 PROPORTION OF SCIENTIFIC CLASSES KILLED IN WAR 25/10/

19 CURRICULUM VITAE OF JOSEPH MARTY 25/10/

20 A MANUSCRIPT BY MARTY 25/10/

21 CATHOLIC STUDENTS AT THE ENS 25/10/

22 BALLONGUE S WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT, /10/2018 DAVID.AUBIN@SORBONNE-UNIVERSITE.FR 22

23 THÉOPHILE ROUSSEAU AT THE BERN ESPERANTO CONGRESS 25/10/

24 ALFRED BALLONGUE 25/10/

25 FERME DE LA PETITE- PERTHE, 10 SEPTEMBER /10/

26 JEAN PIGLOWSKI 25/10/

27 PAUL LAMBERT S DEATH CERTIFICATE 25/10/2018 DAVID.AUBIN@SORBONNE-UNIVERSITE.FR 27

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29 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION 25/10/