PHYSICIST

Karl Taylor Compton

1887 - 1954

Photo of Karl Taylor Compton

Icon of person Karl Taylor Compton

Karl Taylor Compton (September 14, 1887 – June 22, 1954) was an American physicist and president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1930 to 1948. A professor of nuclear physics at Princeton, Compton was recruited to MIT to promote instruction and research in basic science rather than MIT's previous emphasis on vocational training. During his presidency, MIT experienced formidable growth in its research operations. Compton encouraged close connections to the U.S. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Karl Taylor Compton has received more than 122,325 page views. His biography is available in 19 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 18 in 2019). Karl Taylor Compton is the 805th most popular physicist (down from 706th in 2019), the 12,256th most popular biography from United States (down from 9,039th in 2019) and the 185th most popular American Physicist.

Memorability Metrics

  • 120k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 40.71

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 19

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.00

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.58

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among PHYSICISTS

Among physicists, Karl Taylor Compton ranks 805 out of 851. Before him are Narinder Singh Kapany, Udupi Ramachandra Rao, David J. Griffiths, Mazlan Othman, Edwin Thompson Jaynes, and Stephen L. Adler. After him are Ernest Moniz, William Penney, Baron Penney, Edward Andrade, Frederick Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell, Herbert Goldstein, and Carlos Frenk.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1887, Karl Taylor Compton ranks 285. Before him are Raymond Thorne, Roland Young, Ira Davenport, Gertrude Astor, Walter Connolly, and Billy Bevan. After him are Arvi Pohjanpää, Joseph Lamb, Harry Hines Woodring, Edward Andrade, William Frawley, and Ralph Ince. Among people deceased in 1954, Karl Taylor Compton ranks 167. Before him are Gavino Matta, Johnny Ace, Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane, Frederick Humphreys, Ellen Roosevelt, and Moroni Olsen. After him are Bobby Ball, William Dod, Miles Franklin, and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence.

Others Born in 1887

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Others Deceased in 1954

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Karl Taylor Compton ranks 12,256 out of 20,380. Before him are Stacy Peralta (1957), Derek Richardson (1976), Holland Roden (1986), Melissa Fumero (1982), Stephen L. Adler (1939), and Jeff Kober (1953). After him are Damian Chapa (1963), Barbara Bosson (1939), George Peter Alexander Healy (1813), Kitty Carlisle (1910), Ellen Sandweiss (1958), and Richard Stebbins (1945).

Others born in United States

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Among PHYSICISTS In United States

Among physicists born in United States, Karl Taylor Compton ranks 185. Before him are Sarah Frances Whiting (1847), Robert Detweiler (1930), Frank Press (1924), David J. Griffiths (1942), Edwin Thompson Jaynes (1922), and Stephen L. Adler (1939). After him are Ernest Moniz (1944), Herbert Goldstein (1922), J. Richard Gott (1947), Richard A. Muller (1944), Jeremiah P. Ostriker (1937), and Howard Georgi (1947).

American born Physicists

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