Ludwig Wittgenstein

Ludwig Wittgenstein was born to Karl and Leopoldine Wittgenstein, members of the wealthy Viennese upper class. His father was a successful industrialist, and his mother was from a family of bankers and industrialists.

Wittgenstein begins his secondary education at the Realschule in Linz, focusing on technical and scientific subjects, which was unusual for a member of his social class.

Wittgenstein transfers to the Technisches Realgymnasium in Wiener Neustadt, continuing his technical education and showing a growing interest in engineering.

Wittgenstein enrolls at the Berlin Institute of Technology (Charlottenburg) to study mechanical engineering, where he begins to develop his interest in the foundations of mathematics and logic.

Wittgenstein travels to Cambridge to meet Bertrand Russell, a leading philosopher and logician. He is admitted to Trinity College, where he studies under Russell and becomes deeply engaged in philosophical discussions.

Wittgenstein completes 'Notes on Logic,' a significant early work that lays the groundwork for his later philosophical ideas, particularly in the foundations of logic and language.

At the outbreak of World War I, Wittgenstein volunteers for the Austrian Army. He serves on the Eastern Front and later in Italy, where he continues to work on his philosophical ideas.

Wittgenstein is captured by Italian forces and spends the remainder of the war as a prisoner. During this time, he completes the manuscript for 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus,' his first major work.

Wittgenstein's 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus' is published, marking a significant milestone in 20th-century philosophy. The work is highly influential in the fields of logic, language, and metaphysics.

Wittgenstein returns to Cambridge, where he is elected to a research fellowship at Trinity College. He begins to develop new ideas that will later be published in 'Philosophical Investigations.'

Wittgenstein resigns his chair at Cambridge, feeling that his academic responsibilities are interfering with his philosophical work. He continues to write and lecture, but in a more private and reflective manner.

Ludwig Wittgenstein dies in Cambridge, UK, after a battle with prostate cancer. His final work, 'Philosophical Investigations,' is published posthumously, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century.