Abstract: Pontryagin was an outstanding blind mathematician in the former Soviet Union, who became blind in an accident when he was a child, but eventually became one of the top mathematicians of the 20th century. His early work focused on topology and led to the establishment of Pontryagin’s duality theorem, considered one of the most remarkable achievements of topology. In the 1950s, he turned to applied mathematics, studied vibration theory and optimal control theory, became the founder of mathematical theory of optimization process, proposed Pontryagin maximum principle, and achieved a high international reputation. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive historical analysis of Pontryagin’s life legend, mathematical achievements and educational contributions.

Key Words: Topolopy; Duality theorem; Applied mathematics; Optimization theory