This Day In History: Mathematician Pierre de Fermat was born on this day in 1607. He is best known for his famous Last Theorem (aka Fermat's conjecture), a math problem that was finally solved after 358 years by Andrew Wiles in 1994. It took Wiles 30 years, and a lot of that time was spent in self-imposed solitary confinement to solve this problem.
Fermat's theorem stimulated the development of algebraic number theory in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is among the most notable theorems in the history of mathematics and prior to its proof was in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "most difficult mathematical problem", in part because the theorem has the largest number of unsuccessful proofs.
Simon Singh's book about Fermat’s Last Theorem became the first book about mathematics to become a No.1 bestseller...and yes, it was a really good book.
The History and Mystery of Alchemy is now available on Amazon...and it is only 99 cents.
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