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The Greek mathematician known for Archimedes Principle, the law of hydrostatics, dies.
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The Chinese used a number rod system representing positive numbers with red rods and negative numbers with black rods. The used this for commercial purposes showing amounts sold with red rods and purchased items with black rods. This led to money balances that were positive and a deficit negative.
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The Chinese publish The Nine Chapter on the Mathematical Art where negative number appear.
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Negative numbers appeared for the first time in the work of the Indian mathematician Brahmagupta. In his work he described the uses of negative numbers.
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Brahmagupta used a special sign for negatives, as well as, stating rules for working with positive and negatives.
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In the 10th century the only use of negative numbers in Arabic mathematics is found. Abul-Wafa used negative numbers in his work to represent a debt.
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Early in the 17th century Descartes called negative solutions "false"
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Early in the 17th century European mathematicians began to use negative numbers in their work.
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Don Quixote de la Mancha is published.
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Pocahontas becomes associated with the Jamestown colony.
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English mathematician John Wallis gave some understanding to negative numbers by thinking about them as lengths in opposite direction to lengths represented by positive numbers.
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The Pilgrims land in America.
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William Penn founds Pennsylvania
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By the middle of the 18th century negative numbers were accepted as numbers.
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Welsh mathematician William Jones introduced the Greek letter π as a symbol for pi.
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In his book Universal Arithmetick, Isaac Newton addressed difficulties with understanding the concept of negative numbers by stating, "Quantities are either Affirmative, or greater than nothing, or Negative, or less than nothing."
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The Dutch-German-Polish physicist invented the modern day thermometer using mercury.
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In his work Elements of Algebra, English mathematician Nicholas Saunderson discussed that negative numbers could be useful in some psychical contexts such as temperature, motion, and monetary debts.
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Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius introduces the centigrade thermometer.
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American Benjamin Franklin performs his kite experiment to demonstrate the electrical nature of lightening.
