Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: I whanau a AKároly Than i Óbecse, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire (i tenei ra ko Bečej, Serbia). I whakamutua e ia tana mātauranga, a, ka uru atu ia ki te ope o Hungary i te
i te pakanga o te herenga 1848 i te 14 o ona tau. I tona hokinga mai, ka kitea e ia tona whaea kua mate, a kua ngaro tona papa. I mahi ia i roto i ngā whare rongoā maha hei whiwhi moni hei whakaoti i tana mātauranga. Whai muri i tana kura i Szeged, ka tiimata a Than ki te ako i te rongoa me muri mai te matū i te Whare Wananga o Vienna. I whiwhi ia i tana PhD mo te mahi me Josef Redtenbacher i te 1858. Whai muri i tana mahi mo etahi wa hei kaiawhina mo Redtenbacher, ka wehe ia ki te ako me Robert Bunsen i te Whare Wananga o Heidelberg me Charles-Adolphe Wurtz i te Whare Wananga o Paris. I tana hokinga mai ki Redtenbacher i te tau 1859, i mahi ia hei kaiwhakaako i te Whare Wananga o Vienna.