Friedrich Robert Helmert died in Potsdam in 1917. He was, for over 30 years, director of the Royal Prussian Geodetic Institute and of the Central Bureau of the Internationale Erdmessung, today's IAG. He dedicated his life and his scientific career to the field of geodesy. His teachings on theoretical and physical geodesy were incorporated into university curricula around the world and hence into international endeavours to measure planet Earth.