Johann Gregor Mendel, often called the "father of genetics," was an Austrian scientist, monk, and abbot who was born on July 20, 1822, in Hynčice (now Vražné in the Czech Republic) and died on January 6, 1884, in Brno. Mendel is primarily known for his discovery of the laws of inheritance, which he formulated based on his studies of pea plants.