Becker

Becker, Boris, 1967-, German tennis player, b. Leimen, West Germany (now Germany). Noted for his powerful, often acrobatic serve-and-volley game, he gained notice in 1985 when, at 17, he became the youngest man to win Wimbledon. He repeated there in 1986 and 1989 and led West Germany to Davis Cup victories in 1988 and 1989. Becker has also won the U.S. (1989) and Australian (1991, 1996) opens.

Becker, Carl Lotus, 1873-1945, American historian, b. Blackhawk co., Iowa. He taught history at Dartmouth College (1901-2), at the Univ. of Kansas (1902-16), and at Cornell (1917-41). After retirement he was professor emeritus and university historian at Cornell. Among his early works were monographs such as his History of Political Parties in the Province of New York, 1760-1776 (1909), but his real forte was the analysis of thought and philosophy in action, exemplified by his studies on the American Revolutionary period (e.g., The Declaration of Independence, 1922, repr. 1942) and in the broader study, The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers (1932). His deep concern with the use of history for the improvement of international relations and the quality of life was shown in his How New Will the Better World Be? (1944). His works are remarkable as much for the quiet originality of his thought as for the purity and lucidity of his impeccable literary style.

Becker, Gary, 1930-, American economist. A professor at the Univ. of Chicago, he was awarded the 1992 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for extending the scope of microeconomic analysis. Sociology, demography, criminology, and other areas of market and nonmarket behavior are included in his work.

orig. Paula Becker

(born Feb. 8, 1876, Dresden, Ger.—died Nov. 30, 1907, Worpswede) German painter. After studying art in London and Paris, she became one of the first artists to introduce French Post-Impressionism into German art. While her early work is meticulously naturalistic, her later paintings, such as Self-Portrait with a Camellia (1907), combine a lyrical naturalism with the broad areas of simplified colour characteristic of Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne. Since her painting is more concerned with the expression of her inner feelings than with the accurate portrayal of reality, she is frequently called an Expressionist. She died at 31 while giving birth to her first child.

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orig. Paula Becker

(born Feb. 8, 1876, Dresden, Ger.—died Nov. 30, 1907, Worpswede) German painter. After studying art in London and Paris, she became one of the first artists to introduce French Post-Impressionism into German art. While her early work is meticulously naturalistic, her later paintings, such as Self-Portrait with a Camellia (1907), combine a lyrical naturalism with the broad areas of simplified colour characteristic of Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne. Since her painting is more concerned with the expression of her inner feelings than with the accurate portrayal of reality, she is frequently called an Expressionist. She died at 31 while giving birth to her first child.

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(born Nov. 22, 1967, Leimen, W.Ger.) German tennis player. He left school in the 10th grade to concentrate on tennis. In 1985 he became the youngest winner (at 17) of the Wimbledon's men's singles h1 and the youngest ever to win a men's grand-slam tournament, as well as the only unseeded player and the first German ever to win the h1. He was victorious at Wimbledon again in 1986 and 1989 and also won singles h1s at the 1989 U.S. Open and the 1991 and 1996 Australian Open.

Learn more about Becker, Boris (Franz) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Nov. 22, 1967, Leimen, W.Ger.) German tennis player. He left school in the 10th grade to concentrate on tennis. In 1985 he became the youngest winner (at 17) of the Wimbledon's men's singles h1 and the youngest ever to win a men's grand-slam tournament, as well as the only unseeded player and the first German ever to win the h1. He was victorious at Wimbledon again in 1986 and 1989 and also won singles h1s at the 1989 U.S. Open and the 1991 and 1996 Australian Open.

Learn more about Becker, Boris (Franz) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

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