Nikolai Smirnov

Nikolai Vasilyevich Smirnov (17 October 1900 – 2 June 1966) was a Soviet Russian mathematician noted for his work in various fields including probability theory and statistics. Smirnov's principal works in mathematical statistics and probability theory were devoted to the investigation of limit distributions by means of the asymptotic behaviour of multiple integrals as the multiplicity is increased with limit. He was one of the creators of the nonparametric methods in mathematical statistics and of the theory of limit distributions of order statistics. Biography Smirnov was born October 17, 1900, in Moscow into the family of a church clerk who was also employed as a clerk in the office of the Bolshoi Theater. He completed his gymnasium education during the First World War, during which he served in various medical units of the military. After the October Revolution Smirnov joined the ranks of the Red Army. During this time he took an interest in philosophy and philology, which shaped his later interests in mathematics. It is suggested that Smirnov was influenced by the works of Velimir Khlebnikov, who had emphasized that the most fruitful results in arts and humanities could be achieved only after thoroughly understanding the natural sciences. According to the testimony of a friend, the artist S. P. Isakov, Smirnov, following this advice, entered Moscow State University after his discharge from the army in 1921 and focused his attention to the study of mathematics.