Chapter 1, Who Was Archimedes? Summary and Analysis

Archimedes was born in Syracuse, Sicily in 287 B.C. and was a Greek citizen. An olive branch was placed on the door of his house to tell the people of Syracuse that their astronomer, Phidias, has been gifted with a sun. His birth was celebrated with two family parties, one on the fifty day to put him under the protection of the gods and on the tenth day where Phidias promised to his guests to raise his son as a good Greek citizen.

Archimedes has only a first name, no last or first name. It is not clear who he was named after. In those days, little was known about science if anything. Science, however, began because of him. He was unusual in various respects: his mind never stopped attempting to add to the knowledge...