Georg von Békésy
A Nobel-winning biophysicist who unraveled the inner ear's mechanics by building startlingly simple models from everyday materials.
1899–1972 (age 73)·Hungarian-American biophysicist·Birthday: June 3·The Lost Generation
Biography
Georg von Békésy approached one of biology's most delicate mysteries—how we hear—with the hands of an engineer and the curiosity of a physicist. Working initially in Hungary's telephone research laboratory, he became fascinated by auditory mechanics. Denied access to fresh human inner ears, he pioneered a method of studying temporal bones preserved in formalin. His genius lay in translation: he constructed large-scale models of the cochlea using rubber membranes, brass plates, and fluid, visually demonstrating how sound waves travel along the basilar membrane. This 'traveling wave' theory was a revelation, proving that different frequencies stimulate specific regions. His meticulous, almost craft-like experiments, for which he often built his own instruments, earned him science's highest honor and forever changed our understanding of sensory perception.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Georg was born in 1899, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. 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 Georg Was Born
The biggest hits of 1899
Georg's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1899Born
President: William McKinley
1904Started school
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Became a teenager
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1915Could drive
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Could vote
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Turned 21
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1929Turned 30
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 40
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 50
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 60
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 70
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Died at 73
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
Key Achievements
- Awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries concerning the physical mechanisms of stimulation within the cochlea.
- Developed the 'traveling wave' theory to explain how the inner ear distinguishes between different sound frequencies.
- Invented novel experimental apparatus, including an audiometer and specialized microscopes, to study the inner ear's microscopic structures.
- His work laid the essential biophysical foundation for modern cochlear implant technology.
Did You Know?
He was an avid art collector, with a particular focus on sculptures and artifacts from Asia and the ancient world.
Much of his Nobel-prize-winning research was conducted not in a well-funded university, but in a telephone lab in Budapest.
He later moved to the United States, holding positions at Harvard University and the University of Hawaii.
He preferred to work alone, designing and building nearly all of his intricate experimental equipment himself.
“I learned that it is not enough to be right until one is also successful.”
