Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
German polymath credited with calculus, binary arithmetic, and foundational philosophical works.
Chronology: 1646-06-21 – 1716-11-14
Origins & Early Life
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; 1 July 1646 [O.S. 21 June] – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist, and diplomat. Alongside Isaac Newton, he is widely credited with the invention of calculus. He is also credited with making foundational contributions to other areas of mathematics, such as binary arithmetic and statistics.
Pivotal Works & Achievements
Leibniz has been called the "last universal genius" due to his vast expertise across fields, which became a rarity after his lifetime with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and the spread of specialized labour. He is a prominent figure in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathematics. He wrote works on philosophy, theology, ethics, politics, law, history, philology, games, music, economics and other studies. Leibniz also made major contributions to physics and technology, and anticipated notions that surfaced much later in probability theory, biology, medicine, geology, psychology, linguistics and computer science. Leibniz contributed to the field of library science, developing a cataloguing system (at the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel, Germany) that came to serve as a model for...
Enduring Legacy & Impact
The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.
Source: Wikipedia