Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal was born in Clermont France on June 19, 1623 to Etienne Pascal. His mother died when he was only 3. He was the third of four children and the only boy. He was described as a man of: small stature, poor health, loud spoken, somewhat overbearing, precious, stubbornly persevering, a perfectionist, highly pugnacious yet seeking to be humble and meek. Pascal's father had somewhat unorthodox views on education, so he decided to teach his son himself. …

…find the arc length and the length of the arch of the cycloid. Pascal published his own solutions to his own problems in the Letters to Carcavi. This seemed to be his last great interest in science. He spent his last years giving to the poor and attending church in Paris one service after another. He died at the age of 39 in intense pain after a malignant growth in his stomach spread to the brain.