Seismologist who created the famous Richter Scale, which describes the magnitude of seismic events. He served as a Professor at the California Institute of Technology from 1958 to 1970 and wrote the influential book Elementary Siesmology.
He moved with his mother and grandfather to California in 1909 and later earned his PhD in Theoretical Physics from the California Institute of Technology.
He developed building codes for structures in earthquake-heavy areas, which helped lessen the damage caused by events like the San Fernando earthquake of 1971.
He married creative writing Teacher Lillian Brand in 1928.
He and Hugo Benioff are both famous American seismologists.
