A Five-Minute History of Knot Theory

This collection contains articles and images on the history of knot theory by Dr. Daniel S. Silver. Dr. Silver is a professor emeritus in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of South Alabama. His research primarily focuses on topology, with a special interest in knots and links. Since 1995, Dr. Silver has been working with Dr. Susan G. Williams on applications of symbolic and algebraic dynamical systems to knot theory. Dr. Silver has also written articles and book reviews on the history of mathematics and science.

As an extracurricular activity, Dr. Silver wrote and drew the comic strip “Life Forms,” which was published in a local alternative newspaper called Harbinger. The comic strip addressed local and national politics and personalities with a dry sense of humor and various animals as protagonists. All of the originals of the strips that were published in the Harbinger from 1985-2010 are housed at the McCall Archives at University of South Alabama. A link to the comic strip collection in the McCall Archives can be found in the sidebar on the left of this page.