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I went on a deep dive about David Hilbert a few years ago. He did incredible work. Unfortunate that his death was heavily overshadowed by the war.

Hilbert's 6th isn't just a problem; it's a quest for the ultimate scientific Rosetta Stone. A century on, we're still decoding the universe's complex math, inching closer to a universal scientific language. It's a testament to the enduring power of a great question: to inspire and challenge across ages.

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His problems were pretty damn influential. I did my PhD on something that traces back to his list, and the research on the topic is still active.

A funny anecdote: von Neumann was asked to deliver a similar address in the International Congress of Mathematics in 1950. He completely forgot, and ended up giving a talk on some if his results from the 1930s. The talk was highly anticipated, so after a while a disappointed audience member heckled von Neumann, who proceeded to wrap up his talk in embarrassment and promptly left the stage.

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