Felix HausdorffFelix Hausdorff (ˈhaʊsdɔːrf , ˈhaʊzdɔːrf ; November 8, 1868 – January 26, 1942) was a German mathematician, pseudonym Paul Mongré, who is considered to be one of the founders of modern topology and who contributed significantly to set theory, descriptive set theory, measure theory, and functional analysis. Life became difficult for Hausdorff and his family after Kristallnacht in 1938. The next year he initiated efforts to emigrate to the United States, but was unable to make arrangements to receive a research fellowship.