MacTutor
Mathematicians Of The Day
17th April
On this day in 1732, Prospero Lambertini (then Archbishop of Bologna, who later became Pope Benedict XIV) set up a debate between his 20 year-old protegée Laura Bassi and four professors from Bologna. The debate was held in the grand Palazzo Pubblico in Bologna and Bassi defended forty-nine philosophical theses. She was later appointed to a professorship at Bologna: the first female professor at a European University.
Click on Ⓟ for a poster.
Born:
- 1598: Giovanni Battista Riccioli Ⓟ
- 1656: William Molyneux Ⓟ
- 1766: John Leslie Ⓟ
- 1798: Étienne Bobillier
- 1853: Arthur Schönflies Ⓟ
- 1863: Augustus Love Ⓟ
- 1878: Matteo Bottasso Ⓟ
- 1879: C Wilhelm Oseen Ⓟ
Died:
- 485: Proclus
- 1761: Thomas Bayes Ⓟ
- 1787: Wenceslaus Johann Gustav Karsten Ⓟ
- 1790: Benjamin Franklin Ⓟ
- 1847: François-Joseph Servois
- 1977: Richard Brauer Ⓟ
- 2006: Gloria Olive Ⓟ
- 2012: Steve Rallis Ⓟ
- 2014: Dimitrei D Stancu Ⓟ
- 2017: Attia Ashour Ⓟ
Quotation of the day
From John Leslie
The true business of the philosopher(scientist), though not flattering to his vanity, is merely to ascertain, arrange and condense the facts.
