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Early Life
Duhem was born in France to Pierre-Joseph Duhem who was Flemish. Following the death of his parents Duhem worked as a textile sales representative in order to provide for his siblings. He continued his education in his free time by reading different excerpts from various different Latin authors. Duhem parents made sure he received the best education before they died. His parents paid for private lessons and ensured he participated in small study groups from an early age of seven. -
Franco-Prussian War
The Duhem family managed to avoid the height of the war for the most part, but Pierre was no stranger to hard times. The Duhem's escaped to Bordeaux but not before being caught up in the siege of Chateaudun. The Duhem family witnessed the separation of church and state where the church's property became the property of the public leading to the desecration of churches. Pierre used the siege of Chateaudun as an opportunity to write a letter demonstrating his ability to write. -
Epidemic
The Fall of 1872 the Duhem family lost two children to the epidemic, Antoinette and the newborn son Jean. Leaving just Pierre and Antoinette's twin sister Marie. Pierre continued pursuing his education at a Catholic college where he remained for ten years. According to Pierre his was fond of his college years and named his science teacher to be the biggest influence on his progression though his education. -
Higher Education
Pierre enrolled in Ecole Normale Supérieure, where he was first in his class in the science department. Usually the college only kept students for approximately three years, but Pierre was granted a fourth and fifth year where he received additional education in mathematics and physics. At the end of his fifth year Pierre was offered a position as a chemist-bacteriologist. He declined the positions due to his passion for theoretical physics.
[https://youtu.be/JhuiICbdgj8]
