Leonid V. Kantorovich was born in the city of Leningrad in January of 1912 to a meager family. His father, Vitalij Kantorovich, died when Leonid was only 10 years old leaving his mother, Polina, to raise a child herself. Leonid grew up during violent times in Russia. During the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Leonid and his mother flew to Byelorussia to escape the bloodshed before returning to their home more than a year later (Kantorovich).
Leonid was a naturally inquisitive child with a broad range of interests including politics and modern history. Upon entering the Mathematical Departmen…
