Scienceשבתאי אונגורו

Šabbetay Unguru

Šabbetay Unguru was an Israeli historian of mathematics and science and a professor at Tel Aviv University.

1931 to 2024History of mathematicsHeading the Cohn InstituteHistory of science

Born: 1 January 1931, Podu Iloaiei
Died: 6 January 2024
Occupation: historian of mathematics, professor, philologist, historian of science
Education: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Šabbetay Unguru was born in 1931 in Podu Iloaiei

Unguru was born in 1931 in Podu Iloaiei, Romania. His parents, Zeida and Gisa Unguru, sold haberdashery and pots. He studied philosophy, philology, history and mathematics at the University of Iași.

He immigrated to Israel in 1961 and went to the United States in 1966. In 1970 he earned a Ph.D. in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. From 1970 to 1982 he taught in the history department of the University of Oklahoma.

He returned to Israel and became an associate professor at Tel Aviv University. He was made a full professor in 1987. From 1991 to 1997 he headed the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas.

A conference was held in his honor at the Cohn Institute for his 90th birthday. He died on 6 January 2024 and was buried in the Sde Yehoshua cemetery. He left a wife and 2 children.