Karl Rawer’s life and scientific achievements*

Abstract. This laudation is given in honor of the 90th birthday of Prof. Karl Rawer. The ionosphere was discovered during Karl Rawer’s life, and he has dedicated his life to the exploration of this part of Earth’s environment. The horrible events of world wars I and II shaped his early life, but they also launched his career as one of the eminent geophysical scientists of the twentieth century.