K. Alex Müller
A late-blooming physicist who overturned decades of dogma by discovering superconductivity in an unlikely, brittle ceramic.
1927–2023 (age 96)·Swiss physicist and Nobel laureate·Birthday: April 20·The Greatest Generation
Biography
K. Alex Müller was in his late fifties and working at an IBM research lab in Zurich when he made the discovery that would electrify the world of physics. The scientific establishment had long believed superconductivity—the loss of all electrical resistance—could only occur at temperatures near absolute zero. Teaming with his younger colleague Georg Bednorz, Müller pursued a hunch about copper oxide ceramics. In 1986, they stunned the world by demonstrating superconductivity at a significantly higher, though still very cold, temperature. Their work, published in a modest German journal, ignited a global race for even higher temperatures and won them the Nobel Prize just a year later. Müller's career defied the stereotype of the young revolutionary; his breakthrough was a testament to experience, intuition, and the willingness to question accepted truths.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
K. was born in 1927, placing them squarely in The Greatest 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 K. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1927
#1 Movie
Wings
K.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1927Born
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1932Started school
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1940Became a teenager
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1943Could drive
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
1945Could vote
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1948Turned 21
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1957Turned 30
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 40
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 50
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 60
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 70
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 80
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2023Died at 96
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987 with Georg Bednorz for the discovery of superconductivity in copper oxide ceramics.
- His work initiated the worldwide research field of high-temperature superconductivity.
- Served as a leading researcher at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory for many years.
Did You Know?
He served in the Swiss Army's mountain infantry during his youth.
He earned his PhD in physics at the relatively late age of 31.
The initial paper announcing the discovery was rejected by *Physical Review Letters* before being published in *Zeitschrift für Physik*.
“We found superconductivity in a ceramic where no one thought to look.”
