Yaaaaaaaaay, best day of the year!

Today is Gottfried Leibniz’ 348th birthday, yo.

As I mentioned a week or so ago, I’m re-reading this fantastic bio of him ‘cause it’s important. I know I do this a lot, but let me reiterate just one huge reason why this man is so damn awesome, since it IS his birthday, after all:

Leibniz’ formal schooling was severely lacking any rigorous mathematical training. It focused mainly on Latin, theology, and philosophy. However, due to (among other things) having access to his father’s extensive library, Leibniz developed a curiosity toward mathematics and taught himself quite a bit. However, he was still lacking a lot of knowledge once he got out of school. Here’s an excerpt from the bio regarding his visit to Paris, which was practically the center of all things intellectual in the European continent at the time:

“[In Paris] Leibniz was made painfully aware of the limitations of his mathematical preparation and of his lack of up-to-date knowledge of work in the field; and this soon led to the further realization that, in order to carry his plans forward, he would first need to forge himself new tools. … Thankfully, Leibniz was nothing if not a quick learner: by the end of his Parisian sojourn, in fact, the self-confessed mathematical apprentice had invented the infinitesimal calculus.”

So it took him approximately TEN FREAKING YEARS to go from practically a math novice to inventor of calculus.

That’s so freaking ridiculous.

Happy birthday, Leibniz, you amazing dude. <3