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Born
In Clermont-Ferrand, France -
Pascal's Theorem
At 16, sent a Treatise on Mystic Hexagrams to Pere Mersenne -
Invents the Pascaline
The Pascaline was a primitive calculator that Pascal invented to aid his father in tax collection. It was so expensive to make, though, that it was never a commercial success and only a handful were ever built. -
"New Experiments with the Vacuum"
Pascal replicates Torricelli's barometer experiment and proves the existence of a vacuum. -
Pascal's Triangle
In 1653, he published work on the arithmetic triangle and connected it with the binomial theorem. -
Theory of Probability
Corresponded with Fermat to develop a theory of probability, based around a friend's gambling problem. -
Second Conversion
Pascal had a religious experience and largely abandonned his mathematical work afterward to focus instead on philosophy and theology. -
The Provincial Letters
After his religious conversion (to the Jansenist sect), Pascal published a series of wildly popular letters criticising the practices of the Catholic church. -
Died
Paris -
First Publication of "Thoughts"
Between 1657 and his death in 1663, Pascal wrote serveral theological treatises which remained unpublised until 1669. The "Thoughts" have been praised as a masterpiece of French prose.
