Overview

In the period between the two World Wars, despite frequently divisive international bitterness and rancor, Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields (1863-1932) worked to establish an award for mathematical achievement designed to underscore the international character of mathematics and promote promising academic talent. For mathematicians, the International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, more generally known as the Fields Medal in mathematics, eventually became an equivalent of a Nobel Prize.

Background

Fields undertook his studies in mathematics in Canada, France, and Germany before spending the majority of his academic career at the University of Toronto. This international experience made him sensitive to political intrusion into academic life and aware of the need to unify the mathematics community. In 1924 Fields became president of the International Congress of Mathematics in Toronto. Far from being a truly...