When was Leonid Sedov born?

Leonid Sedov was born on 1 November 1907 in Rostov-on-Don.

What positions has Leonid Sedov held?

Positions held by Leonid Sedov include: president (1959–1961).

Where did Leonid Sedov study?

Leonid Sedov was educated at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Rostov State University.

Wim van Rossem for Anefo · CC0

Suggest a better photo · Report

Leonid Sedov

Russian physicist (1907-1999)

नेपालीमा पढ्नुहोस् · हिंदी में पढ़ें

नेपाली · English · हिंदीRead in your language
CitedEvery fact sourced
Ad-freeNo ads, no tracking

Leonid Ivanovich Sedov (Russian: Леонид Иванович Седов; 14 November 1907, Rostov-on-Don – 5 September 1999, Moscow) was a Russian physicist who worked as an engineer in the former Soviet space program.

Quick facts

Born: 1 November 1907 wd
Place of birth: Rostov-on-Don wd
Died: 5 September 1999 wd
Place of death: Moscow wd
Citizenship: Russian Empire, Soviet Union wd
Occupation: physicist, university teacher, inventor wd
Education: Lomonosov Moscow State University, Rostov State University wd

Positions held wd

president (1959–1961)

Awards wd

Order of the Badge of Honour (1943)
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1945)
Order of Lenin (1954)
honorary doctor of the University of Poitiers (1966)
Hero of Socialist Labour (1967)
Commander of the Legion of Honour (1971)
Allan D. Emil Memorial Award (1981)
Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal (1984)
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class (1998)
Stalin Prize
Knight of the Legion of Honour
Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin"
Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"
VDNKh gold medal

About

In 1930 Sedov graduated from the Moscow State University, where he had been a student of Sergey Chaplygin, with the degree of Doctor of Physics and Mathematical Sciences. He later became a professor at the university.

During World War II, he devised the so-called Sedov Similarity Solution for a blast wave, now called Taylor–von Neumann–Sedov blast wave after three scientists who did that independently. In 1947 he was awarded the Chaplygin Prize.

He was the first chairman of the USSR Space Exploration program and broke first news of its existence in 1955. He was president of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) from 1959 to 1961. Until recently, it had been thought that Sedov was the principal engineer behind the Soviet Sputnik project.

Questions

When was Leonid Sedov born?: Leonid Sedov was born on 1 November 1907 in Rostov-on-Don.
What positions has Leonid Sedov held?: Positions held by Leonid Sedov include: president (1959–1961).
Where did Leonid Sedov study?: Leonid Sedov was educated at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Rostov State University.

Sources

Last updated 31 October 2026 · facts checked 5 November 2026

Cite this page

"Leonid Sedov". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/leonid-sedov. Retrieved 5 November 2026.

Machine-readable versions: JSON · Markdown

Text from the Wikipedia article Leonid Sedov, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Ruimtevaartcongres Amsterdam VU Werner Von Braun + Sedov) aangetast, Bestanddeelnr 909-8098.jpg — Wim van Rossem for Anefo, CC0.

Is this you, or do you work in this person's office? Claim this profile