Jakow Trachtenberg

Who was Jakow Trachtenberg?

Jakow Trachtenberg was a Russian mathematician who developed the mental calculation techniques called the Trachtenberg system. He was born in Odessa, in the Russian Empire. He graduated with highest honors from the Mining Engineering Institute in St. Petersburg and later worked as an engineer in the Obukhov arms factory. While still in his early twenties, he became Chief Engineer with 11,000 men under his supervision. The Tsarist government gave him the responsibility of supervising the formation of a well-developed navy.

After the Russian Revolutions of 1917, Trachtenberg fled to Germany where he became critical of Nazi policies. He was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. He developed his system of mental arithmetic during his imprisonment. He later fled to Switzerland.