Weibull studied at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, graduating in 1924. He gained a doctorate from U Uppsala in 1932. He spent much of his career in the Royal Swedish Coast Guard, joining in 1904 as a midshipman and reaching the rank of major in 1940. Initially his job was concerned with studying the effects of underwater explosions, and subsequently with the lifetimes of components. Weibull is best known for his 1939 paper introducing the Weibull distribution. In 1972 the American Society of Mechanical Engineers awarded him their Gold Medal citing him as ‘a pioneer in the study of fracture, fatigue and reliability’.

http://www.barringer1.com/weibull_bio.htm Fuller biography and photograph.