Riccardo Giacconi

Italian-American astrophysicist (1931-2018)
Person human Q186481
Riccardo Giacconi
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Riccardo Giacconi

Summary

Riccardo Giacconi is a human[1]. His place of birth was Genoa[2]. He was born on October 6, 1931[3]. He passed away in San Diego[4]. He died on December 9, 2018[5]. He worked as an astronomer[6], physicist[7], university teacher[8], astrophysicist[9], and visual artist[10]. He ranks in the top 0.73% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (96 views/month, #7,263 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Riccardo Giacconi's place of birth was Genoa[2].
  • Riccardo Giacconi passed away in San Diego[4].
  • Riccardo Giacconi was born on October 6, 1931[3].
  • Riccardo Giacconi died on December 9, 2018[5].
  • Riccardo Giacconi was married to Mirella Giacconi[12].
  • Riccardo Giacconi held citizenship in Italy[13].
  • Riccardo Giacconi held citizenship in United States[14].
  • Riccardo Giacconi held citizenship in Kingdom of Italy[15].
  • Riccardo Giacconi's professions included astronomer[6].
  • Riccardo Giacconi worked as a physicist[7].
  • Riccardo Giacconi's professions included university teacher[8].
  • Riccardo Giacconi worked as an astrophysicist[9].
  • Riccardo Giacconi worked as a visual artist[10].
  • Riccardo Giacconi worked as an astrologer[16].
  • Riccardo Giacconi's field of work was astrophysics[17].
  • Riccardo Giacconi's field of work was physics[18].
  • Riccardo Giacconi's field of work was astronomy[19].
  • Riccardo Giacconi's field of work was cosmic radiation[20].
  • Riccardo Giacconi held the position of ESO’s Director General[21].
  • Among Riccardo Giacconi's employers was Johns Hopkins University[22].
  • Among Riccardo Giacconi's employers was Harvard University[23].
  • Among Riccardo Giacconi's employers was European Southern Observatory[24].
  • Riccardo Giacconi was educated at University of Milan[25].
  • Riccardo Giacconi received the Nobel Prize in Physics[26].
  • Riccardo Giacconi received the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Riccardo Giacconi's place of birth was Genoa[2]. He was born on October 6, 1931[3].

Education

Riccardo Giacconi's education included a stint at University of Milan[25].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include astronomer[6], physicist[7], university teacher[8], astrophysicist[9], visual artist[10], and astrologer[16]. Fields of work include astrophysics[17], a branch of astronomy[28]; physics[18], a branch of science[29]; astronomy[19], a branch of science[30]; and cosmic radiation[20], a particle radiation[31]. Employers include Johns Hopkins University[22], a private university[32], in United States[33], founded in 1876[34], headquartered in Baltimore[35]; Harvard University[23], a private university[36], in United States[37], founded in 1636[38], headquartered in Cambridge[39]; and European Southern Observatory[24], an international organization[40], in Germany[41], founded in 1962[42], headquartered in Garching bei München[43]. Riccardo Giacconi held the position of ESO’s Director General[21]. He supervised Eric D. Feigelson as a doctoral student[44].

Recognition

Awards received include Nobel Prize in Physics[26], a physics award[45], in Sweden[46], founded in 1901[47]; NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal[27], a medallion[48], in United States[49], founded in 1961[50]; Elliott Cresson Medal[51], an award[52], in United States[53], founded in 1875[54]; Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy[55], a science award[56], in United States[57]; Henry Norris Russell Lectureship[58], a science award[59], in United States[60]; and Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society[61], a science award[62], in United Kingdom[63], founded in 1824[64].

Personal Life

Among Riccardo Giacconi's spouses was Mirella Giacconi[12].

Death and Burial

Riccardo Giacconi died on December 9, 2018[5]. He passed away in San Diego[4].

Works and Contributions

Things named for Riccardo Giacconi include 3371 Giacconi[65], an asteroid[66].

Why It Matters

Riccardo Giacconi ranks in the top 0.73% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (96 views/month, #7,263 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 28 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[67] He is known by 21 alternative names across languages and contexts.[68]

Entities named for him include 3371 Giacconi[65], an asteroid[66].

FAQs

Where was Riccardo Giacconi born?

Riccardo Giacconi's place of birth was Genoa[2].

Where did Riccardo Giacconi die?

Riccardo Giacconi passed away in San Diego[4].

Who was Riccardo Giacconi married to?

Riccardo Giacconi's spouses include Mirella Giacconi[12].

What did Riccardo Giacconi do for work?

Riccardo Giacconi worked as astronomer[6], physicist[7], university teacher[8], astrophysicist[9], and visual artist[10].

Where did Riccardo Giacconi go to school?

Riccardo Giacconi was educated at University of Milan[25].

What awards did Riccardo Giacconi receive?

Honors received include Nobel Prize in Physics[26], NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal[27], Elliott Cresson Medal[51], and Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy[55].

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] . wikidata.org.
  3. [12] . wikidata.org.
  4. [13] . wikidata.org.
  5. [14] . LIBRIS. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  6. [15] . wikidata.org.
  7. [21] . wikidata.org.
  8. [25] . wikidata.org.
  9. [17] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [18] . wikidata.org.
  11. [19] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [20] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  13. [6] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [7] . wikidata.org.
  15. [8] . wikidata.org.
  16. [9] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  17. [10] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [16] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [22] . wikidata.org.
  20. [23] . wikidata.org.
  21. [24] . wikidata.org.
  22. [26] . nobelprize.org. nobelprize.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [27] . wikidata.org.
  24. [51] . fi.edu. fi.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  25. [55] . aas.org. aas.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [58] . wikidata.org.
  27. [61] . wikidata.org.
  28. [44] . wikidata.org.
  29. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  30. [5] . Munzinger Personen. Retrieved . esa.int. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [65] . 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. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

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

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [67] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [68] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Riccardo Giacconi. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/riccardo-giacconi
MLA “Riccardo Giacconi.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/riccardo-giacconi.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_riccardo-giacconi_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Riccardo Giacconi}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/riccardo-giacconi}, 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. 6d ago · MatSuBot bot · 2026-06-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    "/* wbeditentity-update-languages-short:0||te, hi */ import labels from sitelinks; cleanup"
  2. 4w ago · MarisDreshmanisBot bot · 2026-05-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Field of work astrophysics, physics, astronomy +1
    Country of citizenship Italy, United States, Kingdom of Italy
    Erdős number {'amount': '+8'}
    Interested in astrophysics
    + 32 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update-languages:0||98 */ Add multilingual descriptions (98 languages) — Task 12 (Nobel laureates) — deterministic from P106 (occupation) + P27 (citizenship) labels, no machine transla"
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