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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000282

First Jewish Recipient of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry

Record holder

Carl DjerassiPerson

Record value

11 April 1978

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: United StatesAchievement date: 11 April 1978Current record

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Carl Djerassi

Carl Djerassi, inaugural 1978 Wolf Prize in Chemistry laureate.Science History Institute / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 3.0

Official record definition

The earliest official Wolf Prize in Chemistry award year in which a person satisfying JWR Jewish Eligibility at Achievement was personally named a laureate.

Measurement methodology

Official Wolf Foundation inaugural-award chronology combined with contemporary reporting of the first Wolf Prize presentation ceremony, Jewish Eligibility at Achievement review, and same-award-year counter-candidate screening.

Measurement point: Formal presentation of the inaugural Wolf Prize in Chemistry at the Knesset in Jerusalem.

Record story

Carl Djerassi received the inaugural Wolf Prize in Chemistry at the Knesset in Jerusalem on 11 April 1978. The Wolf Foundation recognized his work in bioorganic chemistry, the application of new spectroscopic techniques, and his support of international scientific cooperation. Djerassi had already transformed steroid chemistry and was widely known for work leading to the first oral contraceptive. Because the Wolf Prize in Chemistry began in 1978 and Djerassi was its sole chemistry laureate that year, he is the first recipient in the category and, with his Jewish identity independently documented, the first Jewish recipient. JWR uses the exact presentation date as the Record Value and keeps the broader award-year context in the evidence and story.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
5 October 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

The Wolf Foundation identifies Carl Djerassi as the sole 1978 Chemistry laureate and explicitly describes his award as the first Wolf Foundation Prize for Chemistry. Contemporary Jewish Telegraphic Agency reporting dated 12 April 1978 states that the inaugural Wolf Prizes were distributed the previous night at the Knesset, fixing the presentation date as 11 April 1978.

Superiority evidence

The official Wolf Prize in Chemistry chronology begins with Carl Djerassi in 1978, leaving no earlier recipient. The award was not shared, so there is no same-year co-laureate counter-candidate for the first Jewish recipient claim.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Carl Djerassi obituary — Stanford University
  • Telling Tales Out of School — Stanford Magazine

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Carl Djerassi — Wolf Foundation
  • Flap over Wolf Prize Winners — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • The Wolf Prize — Wolf Foundation

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

  • Carl Djerassi

    Official recordWolf Foundation

    What this proves: Identifies Djerassi as the 1978 Chemistry laureate and gives the official citation.

  • The Wolf Prize

    Official recordWolf Foundation

    What this proves: Shows the official chemistry chronology beginning in 1978.

  • Carl Djerassi obituary

    Institutional archiveStanford University

    What this proves: States that Djerassi was born to Jewish parents.

  • Telling Tales Out of School

    Independent publicationStanford Magazine

    What this proves: Independently identifies Djerassi as the son of Jewish physicians.

  • Flap over Wolf Prize Winners

    Independent publicationJewish Telegraphic Agency· 12 April 1978

    What this proves: Contemporary report dated 12 April 1978 states that the Wolf Prizes were distributed the previous night at the Knesset, establishing the presentation date as 11 April 1978.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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