Portrait of Anthony Leggett

Birthday profile

Anthony Leggett

Anthony James Leggett, English-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2026)

Born
March 26, 1938
Died
March 8, 2026
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1938

About Anthony Leggett

Sir Anthony James Leggett was a British–American theoretical physicist and professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Leggett was widely recognised as a world leader in the theory of low-temperature physics, and his pioneering work on superfluidity was recognised by the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics. He shaped the theoretical understanding of normal and superfluid helium liquids and strongly coupled superfluids. He set directions for research in the quantum physics of macroscopic dissipative systems and use of condensed systems to test the foundations of quantum mechanics. Leggett won a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, in December 1954 and entered the university the following year with the intention of reading the degree technically known as Literae Humaniores (classics). The University of Oxford awarded Leggett an Honorary DLitt in June 2005.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Anthony Leggett timeline

  1. Leggett won a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, in December 1954 and entered the university the following year with the intention of reading the degree technically known as Literae Humaniores (classics).
  2. Leggett was widely recognised as a world leader in the theory of low-temperature physics, and his pioneering work on superfluidity was recognised by the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics.
  3. The University of Oxford awarded Leggett an Honorary DLitt in June 2005.

The world when Anthony Leggett was born

Anthony Leggett was born in 1938. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1938

  • #1 song"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" – Ella Fitzgerald
  • Top movieThe Adventures of Robin Hood
  • Best-selling bookRebecca – Daphne du Maurier

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentJoe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling in round 1
  • Top headlineWar of the Worlds broadcast causes nationwide panic
  • Technology milestoneNuclear fission discovered
  • Defining fadSuperman debuts in Action Comics #1
  • Notable inventionInstant coffee (Nescafé)
  • World population2.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • U.S. population129.8M

1938 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Anthony Leggett's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19382026
Gas$0.20$3.45/gal
Average home$5,100$435,000
Average income$2,800$67,500
Minimum wage$0.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population129.8M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.