About
Jean-Étienne Montucla, born in Lyon in 1725 and died in Versailles in 1799, was a French mathematician, best known for writing the first comprehensive history of mathematics. His major work, Histoire des mathématiques (1758), covers the evolution of the discipline from antiquity to the 17th century, including mechanics, astronomy, optics, and music. He also published a history of the quadrature of the circle (1754) and an expanded edition of Ozanam's Mathematical Recreations (1778). He held several royal appointments, but the French Revolution stripped him of his income. A second edition of his history, completed by Jérôme Lalande, appeared from 1799.
* 1725-09-05 — † 1799-12-18
Major works
- Histoire des recherches sur la quadrature du cercle (1754)treatise on the history of mathematics
- Histoire des mathématiques (1758)historical work
- Récréations mathématiques et physiques (édition augmentée) (1778)collection of mathematical recreations
Key milestones
- 1754Anonymous publication of his history of the quadrature of the circle, earning him election as corresponding member of the Berlin Academy.
- 1758Publication of the first two volumes of Histoire des mathématiques.
- 1799Publication of the first volumes of the second edition of Histoire des mathématiques shortly before his death; subsequent volumes were completed by Jérôme Lalande.
Themes
history of mathematicsquadrature of the circlemathematical recreationsmechanicsastronomy
Sources: mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk · en.m.wikisource.org