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300 BCE
Euclid's Elements
Euclid publishes his seminal work, Elements, where he lays the foundation for geometry for the rest of history. It is here where he lays out his five postulates, used to define planar geometry. -
150
Ptolemaic Model of the Solar System
Ptolemy establishes his model of the solar system, where the sun, moon, and planets travel around a stationary Earth following paths which were circles whose centers moved along circles. -
1152
Bhaskara II Divides by Zero
Bhaskara II, known as the most influential medieval indian mathematician, states that division by zero yields an infinite quotient, based on his work with a early form of calculus. -
1543
Copernicus
Copernicus publishes his major work On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres shortly following his death, presenting a model of the Solar System wherein all the planets, including Earth, move around the stationary Sun. Though he was not the first to propose this idea, he was one of the first since the Romans. -
Tycho Brahe's Rebuttal
Tycho Brahe proposes a model for the Solar System where the Sun revolves around a stationary Earth, and all other planets revolve around the Sun. Brahe created this system in response to Copernicus based on perceived flaws with the motion of the stars. -
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John Wallis Says Zero isn't a Number
John Wallis introduces the symbol ∞ in reference to division by zero. Wallis also states that zero is not a number. -
Isaac Newton publishes Principa Mathematica
Isaac Newton publishes Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, in which he derives Kepler’s Laws using his Universal Law of Gravitation and his Laws of Motion, providing a clear mathematical foundation for the heliocentric model of the Solar System. -
John Craig Says Zero isn't Null
John Craig states that zero must be an infinitesimal, or a number which is inconceivably small, as opposed to being the lack of a value. -
Georges-Louis Comte de Buffon
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon finishes his Natural History, General and Particular. In this publication, he argues that all modern quadrupeds were descendant of a set of 38 original quadrupeds. -
Georges Cuvier and Extinction
Georges Cuvier publishes his work on elephant fossils, showing that there are significant differences between Elephant fossils he had found and modern elephants. This is serves as convincing evidence that species can become extinct. -
Lamarck and Transmutation
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposes his idea of transmutation of species. He explains that through the use of particular traits, organisms develop these traits and pass them onto their offspring. -
Gauss Doubts Euclid
Carl Friedrich Gauss receives a letter from Ferdinand Karl Schweikart in which Schweikart lays out his ideas of “Astral Geometry”. These ideas align with Gauss’s own thoughts about an “Anti-Euclidean Geometry”, but neither are willing to publish their work. -
Janos Bolyai develops a new geometry
Janos Bolyai writes to his father, Farkas Bolyai, who had also investigated the truth of Euclid’s fifth postulate, saying that he has made a groundbreaking discovery and developed a new system of geometry. -
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Rudolf Lipschitz and Division by Zero
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Rediscovering Genetics
Hugo de Vries publishes a paper which replicates the results of Gregor Mendel. Upon being shown the paper, de Vries publishes a paper crediting Mendel. This led to a reexamination of Mendel’s work, and provided the groundwork for genetics, which would be the elusive mechanism of Darwin’s theory. -
Non-Euclidean Geometry finds Application
Einstein makes use of Riemann’s formulation of different geometries based on different assumptions in his theory of gravity. This theory greatly increases the accuracy of a variety of astronomical calculations, making non-euclidean much more widely accepted. -
James Anderson Creates Nullity
James Anderson introduces the idea of Nullity as a way ‘solve’ division by zero. His approach is controversial, and not widely accepted among mathematicians. However, it is the first time the problem has been discussed differently for 100 years.
