# Charles Francis Richter

> The scale that carried his name became shorthand for disaster itself — newsrooms and dinner tables alike measured catastrophe in Richter numbers for half a century.

*Seismologist and mathematician*

**Canonical URL:** https://fame.am/person/charles-francis-richter

## Identity
- **Profile type:** Academic ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q39631))
- **Category:** Academics
- **Country:** United States
- **Born:** 1900-04-26
- **Died:** 1985-09-30
- **Status:** deceased
- **Gender:** male

## Bio

Charles Francis Richter was an American seismologist and physicist who spent his career at the California Institute of Technology. Inspired by Kiyoo Wadati's 1928 paper on shallow and deep earthquakes, he developed a logarithmic scale in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg and first used it in 1935. The Richter scale became the dominant tool for quantifying earthquake size worldwide until the moment magnitude scale replaced it in 1979. He died September 30, 1985, forty-four years after the scale made his surname a unit of measure.

## Fame
- **Popularity score:** 56.0 / 100
- **Momentum:** 0.6 / 100  (trend: STABLE)
- **Historical depth:** 24.1 / 100
- **Now attention:** 2.1 / 100
- **Source confidence:** 60.0 / 100
- **Profile completeness:** 70.0 / 100

## Topics
#Scientists, #Academic, #Mathematics, #United States, #Americas, #20th Century

## Sources
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184014)
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [Pantheon 2.0](https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Charles%20Francis%20Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [چارلز فرانسیس ریشتر](https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%86%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%84%D8%B2_%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B3_%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%B1)
- [Çarlz Fransis Rixter](https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%87arlz_Fransis_Rixter)
- [Чарлз Рыхтэр](https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A7%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%B7_%D0%A0%D1%8B%D1%85%D1%82%D1%8D%D1%80)
- [Чарлз Франсис Рихтер](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A7%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%B7_%D0%A4%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%81_%D0%A0%D0%B8%D1%85%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80)
- [চার্লস ফ্রান্সিস রিখটার](https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%B8_%E0%A6%AB%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B8_%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%96%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [Charles Richter](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Richter)
- [Charles Richter](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [Τσαρλς Ρίχτερ](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A4%CF%83%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%BB%CF%82_%CE%A1%CE%AF%CF%87%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%81)
- [Charles Richter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [چارلز فرانسیس ریشتر](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%86%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%84%D8%B2_%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B3_%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%B1)
- [Charles Richter](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [Charles Francis Richter](https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Francis_Richter)
- [צ'ארלס ריכטר](https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A6'%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%9C%D7%A1_%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%98%D7%A8)
- [चार्ल्स फ्रांसिस रिक्टर](https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8_%E0%A4%AB%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B8_%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%E0%A4%B0)
- [Wikiquote](https://az.wikiquote.org/wiki/%C3%87arlz_Fransis_Rixter)
- [Wikiquote](https://sr.wikiquote.org/wiki/%D0%A7%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB%D1%81_%D0%A0%D0%B8%D1%85%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80)
- [تشارلز ريختر](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%84%D8%B2_%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B1)
- [تشارلز فرانسيس ريختر](https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%84%D8%B2_%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B3_%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B1)

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