1487-1567

German Mathematician

Known for his advancement of mathematics in general, and of German mathematical education in particular, Michael Stifel was a fervent Lutheran given to sometimes bizarre numerological theories. As a mathematician, he was one of the first to use plus and minus signs; developed a system of logarithms independent of John Napier (1550-1617); and helped make algebra more comprehensible to Germans by writing about it in their own language.

Born in the German town of Esslingen in 1487, Stifel became a monk in his twenties, and in 1511 was ordained to the priesthood. Almost immediately, however, he found himself disillusioned with aspects of Catholicism, in particular the church's habit of paying its officials out of alms collected from the poor. Similar issues had begun to enrage another Catholic monk, Martin Luther, who in Wittenberg in 1517 would post his 95 theses challenging the established teachings of Catholicism.

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