On This Day ...
Important events from the history of math that happened on this day:
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October 21st
| 1823 | Enrico Betti born in Tuscany. In algebra, he related the ideas of Galois to the work of Ruffini and Abel. In analysis, his work on elliptic functions was further developed by Weierstrass. In topology, his research inspired Poincare, who coined the term "Betti numbers" to characterize the connectivity of surfaces.
More information about: Enrico Betti Betti Numbers |
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| 1845 | John Couch Adams, after two unsuccessful attempts to present his work in person to the British Royal Astronomer Sir George Airy, left a copy of his calculation regarding a hypothetical planet at the Royal Observatory. Airy criticized the work and didn't search for the planet right away. Consequently, Neptune was discovered by astronomers at the Berlin Observatory.
More information about: John Couch Adams George Biddell Airy |
| 1969 | Waclaw Sierpinski died in Warsaw, Poland. His grave carries, according to his will, the inscription "Investigator of Infinity."
More information about: Waclaw Sierpinski |
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