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This entry contributed by Ben Elkins
German mathematician who founded point-set topology  in Grundzüge der Mengenlehre (1914). He also
developed Hausdorff spaces. In addition to his work in set theory,
Hausdorff developed the concepts of metric and topological spaces. Hausdorff
sought to develop the idea of "closeness" without any dependency on being able to "measure" the distance between
these points.
As a result of the Nazi Nuremberg Laws of 1935, Hausdorff was forced to leave his academic position at Bonn and, although
he remained mathematically active for several more years, his research could only be published outside Germany. In
January 1942, when internment in a concentration camp became imminent, Hausdorff, his wife, and her sister committed
suicide together (Burton 1995).
Additional biographies: MacTutor (St. Andrews)
--. Vorlesungen zum Gedenken an Felix Hausdorff.
Burton, D. M. The History of Mathematics: An Introduction, 3rd ed. William C. Brown, 1995.
Czyz, J. Paradoxes of Measures and Dimensions Originating in Felix Hausdorff's Ideas.
Singapore: World Scientific, 1994.
Gahler, W.; Herrlich, H.; and Preub, G. (Eds.).
Recent Developments of General Topology and Its Applications: International Conference in Memory of Felix Hausdorff (1868-1942 Berlin, March 22-28).
Hausdorff, F. Grundzüge der Mengenlehre. Leipzig, Germany: von Veit, 1914.
Republished as Set Theory, 2nd ed. New York: Chelsea, 1962.
Hausdorff, F. Zwischen Chaos und Kosmos: oder, Vom Ende der Metaphysik.
© 1996-2007 Eric W. Weisstein
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