Frank Drake

American astronomer and astrophysicist (1930–2022)
Person human Q299149
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Frank Drake was born on May 28, 1930, in Chicago and died on September 2, 2022, in Aptos [1][2][3][4][5][4]. He was a citizen of the United States and worked as an astronomer, university teacher, and astrophysicist . His education included attendance at South Shore High School, Harvard University, and Cornell University [6].

Drake's field of work encompassed astronomy, astrophysics, radio astronomy, and the study of extraterrestrial civilization [7]. He received several honors, including the Karl G. Jansky Lectureship, fellowship in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Astronomical Society Education Prize [8]. His contributions were primarily within the domains of astronomy and the scientific search for extraterrestrial life [7]. He remained active in academia and research throughout his career .

Frank Drake

Summary

Frank Drake is a human[1]. Born in Chicago[2], he… he was born on May 28, 1930[3]. He passed away in Aptos[4]. He died on September 2, 2022[5]. He worked as an astronomer[6], university teacher[7], and astrophysicist[8]. He ranks in the top 0.71% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (893 views/month, #7,119 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • Frank Drake's place of birth was Chicago[2].
  • Frank Drake passed away in Aptos[4].
  • Frank Drake was born on May 28, 1930[3].
  • Frank Drake died on September 2, 2022[5].
  • A child of Frank Drake was Nadia Drake[10].
  • Frank Drake held citizenship in United States[11].
  • Frank Drake worked as an astronomer[6].
  • Frank Drake worked as a university teacher[7].
  • Frank Drake worked as an astrophysicist[8].
  • Frank Drake's field of work was astronomy[12].
  • Frank Drake's field of work was astrophysics[13].
  • Frank Drake's field of work was radio astronomy[14].
  • Frank Drake's field of work was extraterrestrial civilization[15].
  • Among Frank Drake's employers was University of California, Santa Cruz[16].
  • Frank Drake's education included a stint at Harvard University[17].
  • Frank Drake's education included a stint at Cornell University[18].
  • Frank Drake's education included a stint at South Shore High School[19].
  • Frank Drake's doctoral advisor was Cecilia Helena Payne Gaposchkin[20].
  • Frank Drake's doctoral advisor was Bart Bok[21].
  • Frank Drake's doctoral advisor was Thomas Gold[22].
  • Frank Drake received the Karl G. Jansky Lectureship[23].
  • Frank Drake received the Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[24].
  • Frank Drake received the American Astronomical Society Education Prize[25].
  • Frank Drake was a member of National Academy of Sciences[26].
  • Frank Drake was a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Frank Drake was born in Chicago[2]. He was born on May 28, 1930[3].

Education

Educated at Harvard University[17], a private university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1636[30], headquartered in Cambridge[31]; Cornell University[18], a private university[32], in United States[33], founded in 1865[34], headquartered in Ithaca[35]; and South Shore High School[19], a high school[36], in United States[37], founded in 1940[38]. Doctoral advisors include Cecilia Helena Payne Gaposchkin[20], an astronomer[39], 1900–1979[40], of United Kingdom[41], awarded the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship[42], specialised in astronomy[43]; Bart Bok[21], an astronomer[44], 1906–1983[45], of Kingdom of the Netherlands[46], awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship[47]; and Thomas Gold[22], an astronomer[48], 1920–2004[49], of United States[50], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[51], specialised in astronomy[52].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include astronomer[6], university teacher[7], and astrophysicist[8]. Fields of work include astronomy[12], a branch of science[53]; astrophysics[13], a branch of astronomy[54]; radio astronomy[14], a branch of astronomy[55]; and extraterrestrial civilization[15]. Among Frank Drake's employers was University of California, Santa Cruz[16]. He supervised Donald C. Backer as a doctoral student[56].

Recognition

Awards received include Karl G. Jansky Lectureship[23], an award[57], in United States[58], founded in 1966[59]; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[24], a fellowship award[60]; and American Astronomical Society Education Prize[25], a science award[61], in United States[62], founded in 2001[63].

Personal Life

A child of Frank Drake was Nadia Drake[10].

Death and Burial

Frank Drake died on September 2, 2022[5]. He passed away in Aptos[4].

Works and Contributions

Things named for Frank Drake include Drake equation[64], an equation[65].

Why It Matters

Frank Drake ranks in the top 0.71% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (893 views/month, #7,119 of 1,000,298).[9] He has Wikipedia articles in 26 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[66] He is known by 26 alternative names across languages and contexts.[67]

Entities named for him include Drake equation[64], an equation[65].

His notable doctoral advisees include Donald C. Backer[68], an astronomer[69], 1943–2010[70], of United States[71], specialised in astrophysics[72].

FAQs

Where was Frank Drake born?

Frank Drake was born in Chicago[2].

Where did Frank Drake die?

Frank Drake passed away in Aptos[4].

What did Frank Drake do for work?

Frank Drake worked as astronomer[6], university teacher[7], and astrophysicist[8].

Where did Frank Drake go to school?

Frank Drake was educated at Harvard University[17], Cornell University[18], and South Shore High School[19].

What awards did Frank Drake receive?

Honors received include Karl G. Jansky Lectureship[23], Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[24], and American Astronomical Society Education Prize[25].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . nadiadrake.com. nadiadrake.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  3. [11] . wikidata.org.
  4. [10] . wikidata.org.
  5. [17] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  6. [18] . wikidata.org.
  7. [19] . wikidata.org.
  8. [12] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  9. [13] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [14] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [15] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [6] . wikidata.org.
  13. [7] . wikidata.org.
  14. [8] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [16] . wikidata.org.
  16. [23] . wikidata.org.
  17. [24] . wikidata.org.
  18. [25] . aas.org. Retrieved . aas.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  19. [20] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  20. [21] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  21. [22] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  22. [56] . wikidata.org.
  23. [26] . wikidata.org.
  24. [27] . wikidata.org.
  25. [3] . SNAC. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . nadiadrake.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [68] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [64] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [69] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [70] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [72] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [66] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [67] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Frank Drake. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/frank-drake
MLA “Frank Drake.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/frank-drake.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_frank-drake_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Frank Drake}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/frank-drake}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 25d ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sex or gender male
    Member of National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, International Astronomical Union
    Languages spoken, written or signed English
    Family name Drake
    + 30 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30468|batch #30468]]: add P1810 to P5739 2/3"
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