David Hilbert, was born on January 23, 1862 near Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). One of the giants of mathematics and physics, he is remembered for the 23 problems he issued at the Second International Congress of Mathematicians in Paris in 1900 for mathematicians to solve before the end of the 20th century.
The great importance of definite problems for the progress of mathematical science in general … is undeniable. … [for] as long as a branch of knowledge supplies a surplus of such problems, it maintains its vitality. … every mathematician certainly shares ..the conviction that every mathematical problem is necessarily capable of strict resolution … we hear within ourselves the constant cry: There is the problem, seek the solution. You can find it through pure thought…
