Origins & Early Life

Philippa Garrett Fawcett (4 April 1868 – 10 June 1948) was an English mathematician and educator. She was the first woman to obtain the top score in the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos exams. She taught at Newnham College, Cambridge, and at the normal school (teacher training college) in Johannesburg, and she became an administrator for the London County Council. Philippa Garrett Fawcett was born on 4 April 1868, the daughter of the suffragist Millicent Fawcett (née Garrett) and Henry Fawcett MP, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge and Postmaster General in Gladstone's second government.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Her aunt was Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first English female doctor. When her father died, she and her mother went to live with Millicent's sister Agnes Garrett, who had set up an interior design business on Gower Street, Bloomsbury. Philippa Fawcett was educated at Bedford College, London (now Royal Holloway), and Newnham College, Cambridge, which had been co-founded by her mother. In 1890, Fawcett became the first woman to obtain the top score in the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos exam, but since she could not receive a degree from Cambridge due to being a woman...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Adah Isaacs Menken — Contemporary (Died in 1868) (1868): American actress, painter, and poet known for sensational stage performances.
• Annie S. D. Maunder — Contemporary (Born in 1868) (1868): Pioneering Irish astronomer known for discovering the Maunder Minimum and sunspot cycles.
• Arnold Sommerfeld — Contemporary (Born in 1868) (1868): Pioneering theoretical physicist known for quantum and atomic structure models.
• Abby Aldrich Rockefeller — Contemporary (Died in 1948) (1948): American socialite and influential philanthropist, key patron of modern art.
• Abdulrazak Gurnah — Contemporary (Born in 1948) (1948): Acclaimed Tanzanian novelist and Nobel laureate exploring themes of colonialism and refuge.
• Akira Mutō — Contemporary (Died in 1948) (1948): Imperial Japanese Army General implicated in war crimes during WWII.
• Ambrose — Shared historical date (04-04 · Died) (397): Influential Christian theologian, statesman, and Bishop of Milan in the 4th century.
• André Masséna — Shared historical date (04-04 · Died) (1817): French Marshal renowned for victories in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
• Adolph Zukor — Shared historical date (06-10 · Died) (1976): Pioneering Hungarian-American film producer, co-founder of Paramount Pictures.
• Alessandro Algardi — Shared historical date (06-10 · Died) (1654): Master of High-Baroque Sculpture, renowned for his portrait busts in Rome.
• 1868 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1868
• April 4 (04-04) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on April 4
• 1948 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1948
• June 10 (06-10) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on June 10