# Did M.W. De Laubenfels live to see confirmation (KT asteroid strike)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-m-w-de-laubenfels-live-to-see-confirmation-kt-asteroid-strike/412992 "2007-07-24T19:14:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-m-w-de-laubenfels-live-to-see-confirmation-kt-asteroid-strike/412992/1 "2007-07-24T19:14:27Z")
M.W. De Laubenfels is noted for one of the [earliest publications](http://www.norwebster.com/astrohit/) positing that dinosaurs (and others) might have met their demises from the after-effects of an asteroid strike. However, he lacked the evidence that the Alvarezes had to give the theory a little more credibility. Biographical info on him is practically non-existent, although a number of papers authored by him can be found online. Anyone??? (Since he appears to have been born in the 1890s, it’s a safe bet he’s no longer among the living.) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-m-w-de-laubenfels-live-to-see-confirmation-kt-asteroid-strike/412992/2 "2007-07-24T20:47:54Z")
It is weird that there isn’t a decent bio of the guy on line considering the amount of published papers he has put out. Based on the unscientific approach of Googling his name, I don’t see any date associated with him past 1957. My guess is that he did not get to see confirmation. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-m-w-de-laubenfels-live-to-see-confirmation-kt-asteroid-strike/412992/3 "2008-04-16T17:49:29Z")
It appears the Professor de Laubenfels’ vital dates are 1894-1960, so the answer is “No,” he didn’t live to see it. Just in case it ever comes up. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-m-w-de-laubenfels-live-to-see-confirmation-kt-asteroid-strike/412992/4 "2008-04-16T18:22:48Z")
It’s worth noting that he also was born too late to see _absolute_ confirmation, by about 65 million years. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-m-w-de-laubenfels-live-to-see-confirmation-kt-asteroid-strike/412992/5 "2008-04-17T23:11:49Z")
Interestingly, when I saw this thread, I thought, “I know someone named M. DeLaubenfels…I wonder if there’s any connection.” So I asked him about it last night. Turns out M.W. DeLaubenfels was his grandfather. I’ll forward this thread to him and see if he has any comment. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-m-w-de-laubenfels-live-to-see-confirmation-kt-asteroid-strike/412992/6 "2008-04-18T04:16:18Z")
**ntucker,** blinkin’ COOL! Give him my kind regards!