The career of George Pólya was distinguished by the discovery of mathematical solutions to a number of problems originating in the physical sciences. He made contributions to probability theory, number theory, the theory of functions, and the calculus of variations. He also cared about the art of teaching mathematics; he worked with educators, advocating the importance of problem solving, for which the United States gave him a distinguished service award. Pólya continued to do innovative research well into his nineties, but he is probably best known for his book on methods of problem solving, called How to Solve It, which has been translated into many languages and has sold more than one million copies.

Pólya was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary), on December 13, 1887, the son of Jakob and Anna Deutsch Pólya. As a boy, he preferred geography, Latin, and...