Gottfried Leibniz
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.030998
It’s the birthday of Gottfried Leibniz, who was born in 1646 in Leipzig, Germany. Leibniz studied philosophy at the University of Leipzig, where his father was a professor. Leibniz’s interest in mathematics and science sprang from meeting the physicist Christiaan Huygens in Paris. Thanks to Huygens’ guidance and his own perseverance, Leibniz began making original contributions to mathematics. In the 1670s he developed differential and integral calculus independently of Isaac Newton. The notation we use today -- d for differentials; a stretched S for integrals (summations) -- was Leibniz’s invention. You can see their first appearance in the page below (look in the margin).
Date in History: 1 July 1646
