Leonhard Euler

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Leonhard Euler (pronounced Oiler) was a famous Swiss mathematician. He made numerous contributions to many fields of mathematics and science. Euler is considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time.

Biography

Euler was born on April 15, 1707 in Basel, Switzerland. Euler's parents were Paul Euler, a pastor of the Reformed Church, and Marguerite Brucker, a pastor's daughter. He had two young sisters, named Anna Maria and Maria Magdalena. At the age of thirteen he enrolled at the University of Basel.

On January 7, 1734, he married Katharina Gsell. The young couple had thirteen children, only five of whom survived childhood.

After suffering a near-fatal fever in 1735, Euler became nearly blind in his right eye. Soon after his return to Russia in 1766, he became almost completely blind in his left eye. Despite his horrible eyesight, Euler continued his prolific research.

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On September 18, 1783, Euler passed away in St. Petersburg, Russia after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

Euler lost sight in his right eye in 1735, and in his left eye in 1766. Nevertheless, aided by his phenomenal memory (and having practiced writing on a large slate when his sight was failing him), he continued to publish his results by dictating them.

Contributions

See Also