Google celebrates 145th anniversary of Mika Alas' birthday

Mihailo Petrovic Alas (1868 – 1943), an influential Serbian mathematician and inventor, was born on May 6th, 145 years ago, and Google today dedicated its homepage to this scientist.

He finished the First Belgrade Gymnasium in 1885, and afterwards enrolled at the natural science-mathematical section of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. In September 1889, he went abroad, to Paris to receive further education, and to prepare for the entrance exam to the Ecole Normale Superieure.

He got a degree in mathematical sciences from Sorbonne University in 1891. On June 21, 1894 he defended his PhD degree at the Sorbonne, and received a title Docteur des sciences mathematiques (doctor of mathematical sciences).

In 1894, Petrovic became a professor of mathematics at the Belgrade's Grande Ecole (which later became the University of Belgrade). In those days, he was one of the greatest experts for differential equations. He held lectures until his retirement in 1938.

In 1897, he became an associate member of the Serbian Royal Academy and associate member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb. He became a full member of the Serbian Royal Academy in 1899, when he was only 31.

He published a large number of inventions, scientific works, books and journals from his sea expeditions. Mika Alas received numerous awards and acknowledgments and was a member of several foreign science academies (Prague, Bucharest, Warsaw, Krakow) and scientific societies.

He was very interested in fishery, and thus his nickname, Alas (river fisherman).