Born in Iran in 1923, Alexander Abian emigrated to the US in 1950. He received a master’s degree from University of Chicago and a PhD from University of Cincinnati.

After teaching posts in Tennessee, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, Abian joined the faculty of Iowa State University in 1967. During his dis tinguished career, he wrote three books and published more than 200 papers.

In 1991, Abian gained notoriety by claiming that blowing up the Moon would solve virtually every problem of human existence. He argued that a Moonless Earth wouldn’t wobble, eliminating the seasons and, therefore, associated events like heat waves, snowstorms, and hurricanes. Abian’s claim was widely refuted by the international scientific community. For instance, NASA argued that part of an exploded Moon would be trans- formed into a meteorite and impact the Earth, extinguishing all life and restoring the seasons after all.

Abian died in 1999.