Abraham Wald
Abraham Wald (Hungarian: Wald Ábrahám, (1902-10-31)October 31, 1902 – December 13, 1950(1950-12-13)) was a mathematician born in Cluj, in the then Austria–Hungary (present-day Romania) who contributed to decision theory, geometry, and econometrics, and founded the field of statistical sequential analysis. He spent his researching years at Columbia University.
Life and career
Being a religious Jew, he could not attend school on Saturdays, as was required at the time by the Hungarian school system, and was thus home-schooled by his parents until college. His parents were quite knowledgeable and competent as teachers.
In 1928 he graduated in mathematics from the King Ferdinand I University in Romanian language. In 1927, he entered graduate school at the University of Vienna, from which he graduated in 1931 with a Ph.D. in mathematics. His advisor there was Karl Menger.
Despite Wald's brilliance, he could not obtain a university position, because of Austrian discrimination against Jews. However, Oskar Morgenstern created a position for Wald in economics. When the Nazis invaded Austria in 1938, the discrimination against Jews intensified. In particular, Wald and his family were persecuted as Jews. Wald was able to immigrate to the United States, at the invitation of the Cowles Commission for Research in Economics, to work on econometrics research.
Saint Abraham (Ethiopian)
Abraham is a saint of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. His feast day is celebrated May 5.
References
Sapor of Bet-Nicator
Sapor of Bet-Nicator (also known as Shapur of Bet-Nicator) was the Christian bishop of Bet-Nicator.
He was reported with 4 companions to King Shapur II, on the basis of their having preached against the Zoroastrian religion. After being subjected to prolonged torture, Bishop Sapor died in prison on November 20, 339.
His companions in martyrdom included Abraham.
There is no record of a feast day for these individuals.
References
Abraham in the Catholic liturgy
Abraham figures prominently in Catholic liturgy. Of all the names of the Old Testament used in the liturgies of the Roman Rite, a special prominence accrues to those of Abel, Melchisedech, and Abraham through their association with the idea of sacrifice and their employment in this connection in the most solemn part of the Canon of the Mass. Abraham's name occurs so often and in such a variety of connections as to give him, among Old Testament figures, a position of eminence in the liturgy, perhaps surpassed by David alone.
Roman Martyrology (Martyrologium Romanum)
Podcasts:
