Sophie Germain

Sophie Germain was a woman before her time. Some have went as far as to call her revolutionary. She lived during a time when women were not considered equivalent to men, especially where knowledge was concerned.

Sophie Germain was a withdrawn child. She was the middle child of Ambroise-Francois and Marie-Madelaine Gruguelin Germain. She grew up in Paris, France; born April 1, 1776 and she died June 27, 1831. She never married,
unless you count her marriage to Fermat’s Last Theorem. Germain was born in the midst of a Revolutionary era; the American Revolution had begun and 13 years later, the French Revolution (in her own country) broke out.

Sophie Germain didn’t get to go to a big expensive college, or even a measly little schoolhouse. She taught herself in the candlelight at night. Of course, that was before her parents found out what she was doing and took her candlesticks, clothes, and heat. She continued to study, though. One must ask what made her love numbe...