Mathematicians Of The Day

24th August



On this day in 1804, the first balloon ascent made for scientific purposes was by Jean-Baptiste Biot and Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac from the garden of the Conservatoire des Arts. They achieved a height of 4000 metres and measured magnetic, electrical, and chemical properties of the atmosphere at various heights.

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Quotation of the day

From Enoch Beery Seitz
Things that people learn purely out of curiosity can have a revolutionary effect on human affairs