Richard Bellman was an American mathematician and computer scientist, best known for his work in dynamic programming. Born on August 26, 1920, he made significant contributions to various fields, including operations research, control theory, and artificial intelligence. His development of the Bellman equation is a fundamental concept in optimization and decision-making processes. Throughout his career, Bellman published numerous papers and books, influencing both theoretical and applied mathematics. He served as a professor at the University of Southern California and was a member of the National Academy of Engineering. His legacy continues to impact modern computational methods and algorithms.