Born June 9, 1623 in Clermont, Auvergne, France, Blaise Pascal's work in the fields of physics, geometry, probability and calculus is outstanding. Not only is his work recognized in its own right, but his contributions lay the foundation for many area of mathematical discovery in the years that followed.
Pascals father had originally banned any mathematic text or instruction from the household until young Pascal reached the age of 15. He asked that tutors concentrate first on language studies. At the age of 12 Pascal asked his tutor what geometry was. The tutor explained that geometry consisted of the study of the construction of figures and the proportions of which they are composed. The young Pascal was so intrigued by the idea that he gave up playtime to secretly study geometry and amazingly discovered, after only a few weeks, one of the properties of triangles. He found that any triangle is made up of two right angles, namely the sum of the three angles of any triangle is 180 degrees.
Pascals contributions to mathematics are both numerous and profound. He worked most of his life either on mathematical theories or in religious pursuits. Some time before his death Pascal devoted his life to Christ and travel from church to church helping the poor. He died at the age of 39 after a painful battle with stomach cancer.
