Lev Semyonovich Pontryagin (, also written
Pontriagin or
Pontrjagin) (3 September 1908 – 3 May 1988) was a
Soviet mathematician. He was born in
Moscow and lost his eyesight due to a
primus stove explosion when he was 14. Despite his blindness he was able to become one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century, partially with the help of his mother Tatyana Andreevna who read mathematical books and papers (notably those of
Heinz Hopf,
J. H. C. Whitehead, and
Hassler Whitney) to him. He made major discoveries in a number of fields of mathematics, including
algebraic topology and
differential topology.