Tartagliawas a self-taught mathematician whose work in algebra led to the first generalized solution of cubic equations. He was neither prominent nor well connected and spent most of his life earning a meager salary as a school teacher. In addition to his work in algebra, Tartaglia also made contributions to the fields of fundamental arithmetic, ballistics, military engineering, cartography, and the development of certain instruments used in surveying. His Italian translations of some of the works of Euclid and Archimedes represented the first time this information had been available in a modern language.

Tartaglia's given name was Nicolò (or Niccolò) Fontana. He was born in Brescia, Italy, in 1499 or possibly 1500. His father, Michele, was a postal courier who worked for the government of Brescia. When his father died in about 1506, the family was left in poverty. In 1512, the French army attacked Brescia. During the attack a...