1900 – 1982
Haskell Brooks Curry (1900–1982) was an American mathematician and logician whose foundational work in combinatory logic and formal systems profoundly shaped mathematical logic and theoretical computer science. He developed combinatory logic independently of Moses Schönfinkel and contributed extensively to the metatheory of formal systems. His name is attached to the technique of currying, the Curry-Howard correspondence, and Curry's paradox.
Independently developed combinatory logic as a foundation for mathematics and computation
Identified Curry's paradox, a logical paradox arising in naive set theory and lambda calculus
Contributed to the Curry-Howard correspondence, linking formal proofs to computer programs
Authored the landmark three-volume work 'Combinatory Logic' (with Feys and Hindley)
Argued for a formalist philosophy of mathematics grounded in the study of formal systems