Jean Étienne Montucla
Born: 5 Sept 1725 in Lyon, France
Died: 18 Dec 1799 in Versailles, France
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Montluca was a historian of mathematics who wrote two important works on the subject.
The first, in 1754, was a history of the problem of squaring the circle and while the subject has changed greatly since, this is still a classic of its kind.
His other larger work was published in two volumes in 1758 and together with the work by Wallis, is the most esteemed of all the early works on the History of Mathematics.
Montluca greatly enlarged and improved a book written by Jacques Ozanam on mathematical puzzles and recreations.
He had friends among the top mathematicians of his day, in particular he was much influenced by D'Alembert and Diderot.
References elsewhere in this archive:
Tell me about Montucla's work on mathematical games and recreations
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