1623-1662

French Mathematician and Philosopher

Amathematical prodigy who first made a name for himself at age 16, Blaise Pascal had a meteoric career that concluded before he was 40. His efforts were further curtailed by his growing interest in a religious sect during the latter half of his life. Yet during his brief years of fruitful work, he helped develop the foundations of projective geometry with Girard Desargues (1591-1661); established probability theory with Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665); made possible new forms of calculus; and created a number of inventions, including the syringe, the hydraulic press, and the world's first mechanical calculator.

Today the French town of Clermont, or Clermont-Ferrand as it is now known, is famous as the birthplace of three things: Michelin tires, the Crusades (Pope Urban II preached the sermon beginning the First Crusade here in 1095), and Blaise Pascal. Son of mathematician and civil servant Etienne...