Deaths on August 21

William Thurston

Died on August 21, 2012

William Thurston, American mathematician and academic (b. 1946)

William Paul Thurston (October 30, 1946 – August 21, 2012) was an American mathematician. He was a pioneer in the field of low-dimensional topology and was awarded the Fields Medal for his contributions to the study of 3-manifolds in 1982.

Thurston was a professor of mathematics at Princeton University, University of California, Davis, and Cornell University. He was also a director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.

References

William Thurston

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Events on 2012

13 Jan

Costa Concordia disaster
The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain's negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths.
2 Jun

2011 Egyptian revolution
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
19 Jun

Julian Assange
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange requested asylum in London's Ecuadorian Embassy for fear of extradition to the US after publication of previously classified documents including footage of civilian killings by the US army.
11 Sep

2012 Benghazi attack
The U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya is attacked, resulting in four deaths.
23 Oct

Digital switchover
After 38 years, the world's first teletext service (BBC's Ceefax) ceases broadcast due to Northern Ireland completing the digital switchover.

Deaths on August 21

William Thurston

Died on August 21, 2012

References

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Events on 2012

Costa Concordia disaster

2011 Egyptian revolution

Julian Assange

2012 Benghazi attack

Digital switchover