David Hilbert
A mathematician turned ruthless 'oligarch' who amassed a vast fortune in the post-Soviet chaos and became a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin from exile.
1862–1943 (age 81)·German mathematician·Birthday: January 23·The Gilded Age
Biography
Boris Berezovsky was a symbol of the turbulent 1990s in Russia, a period when academic brilliance could be a launchpad for staggering wealth and power. A former mathematician and member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, he leveraged the privatization of state assets to build a colossal empire spanning automobiles, media, and oil. He became the archetypal 'oligarch', a kingmaker whose influence extended to the Kremlin itself, playing a role in Boris Yeltsin's rise and the anointing of his successor, Vladimir Putin. The relationship soured dramatically. Putin's consolidation of power targeted the independent wealth of men like Berezovsky, leading to a bitter and public feud. Forced into exile in London, Berezovsky transformed from a Kremlin insider into its most vocal and litigious critic, funding opposition groups and suing Russian entities in Western courts. His life ended in mystery in his UK home, a dramatic finale for a man who embodied the promise and peril of Russia's post-Soviet transformation.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
David was born in 1862, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1862
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1862Born
President: Abraham Lincoln
1867Started school
President: Andrew Johnson
1875Became a teenager
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Could drive
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1880Could vote
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1883Turned 21
President: Chester A. Arthur
1892Turned 30
President: Benjamin Harrison
1902Turned 40
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Turned 50
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1922Turned 60
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1932Turned 70
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 80
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1943Died at 81
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
Key Achievements
- Built a vast business conglomerate in the 1990s, including a controlling stake in the major Russian television channel ORT.
- Played a significant political role as a member of Boris Yeltsin's inner circle, helping to shape the transition of power.
- Successfully obtained political asylum in the United Kingdom in 2003, becoming a high-profile exile.
- Initiated and lost a high-stakes multibillion-pound lawsuit against fellow oligarch Roman Abramovich in the UK High Court.
Did You Know?
He survived a 1994 car bomb assassination attempt in Moscow that decapitated his driver.
Before becoming a businessman, he was a respected scholar in applied mathematics and decision theory.
He used the alias 'Platon Elenin' for some of his academic publications.
He was a major patron of the arts and helped finance the Bolshoi Ballet.
His death in 2013 was ruled as consistent with hanging, but the circumstances remain a subject of speculation and conspiracy theories.
“We must know. We will know.”
