Von Kármán: Fluid Dynamics and Other Things

It is a pleasure to write about Theodore von Kármán. I am somewhat concerned, however, as I consider the audience for this article, many of whom are also fluid dynamicists: I can imagine quite a few old friends who knew von Kármán—perhaps as well as I—saying, “Oh, that isn't the way it really was.” Well, I can only say that what I am going to write about is the way I remember it. (There must be some kind of “statute of limitations” that says that when you get to a certain age—and I suppose I have—you're entitled to tell it the way you remember it, and let the chips fall where they may.)