Alexander Grothendieck

* March 28, 1928, Berlin, Germany
✝ November 13, 2014, Saint-Lizier, France



Fields Medal - 1966

Built on work of Weil and Zariski and effected fundamental advances in algebraic geometry. He introduced the idea of K-theory (the Grothendieck groups and rings). Revolutionized homological algebra in his celebrated "Tohoku paper".