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Valouch Miloslav (1878-1952)
Czech mathematician, educator, author - Czechoslovakia 1103
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Vega Jurij
Born: 23 Mar 1754 in Zagorica, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Died: 26 Sept 1802 in Vienna, Austria
Biography
Scientist, physicist, educator, author, translator.
A 1988 Belgian stamp honors this Belgian Jesuit who restructured the calendar, determined the elusive Russo-Chinese border and rebuilt the imperial observatory. Three centuries ago the Jesuit mision to China realized a special charism of the Society of Jesus. Its influence was spectacular, including projects like determining the Russo-Chinese border, and its success was even more dramatic than that of the Paraguay Reductions. Sent to Christianize many millions of people, a handful of men were trained in the language and culture of China and skilled in what the Chinese admired most, mathematics and science. Their story is told in tapistries and paintings found in the art world and references to them are read in world histories. It is ironic that the Chinese were taught the heliocentric theory by the Jesuits long before it was allowed in Europe. (Perhaps due to a substantial lag in communications, Galileo's plight had not caught up to the Jesuits in China.) The China mission has been spoken of with awe and admiration by historians such as Joseph Needham and John Baddeley. Europe was thrilled with the work of the mission. Leibniz, an ecuminist far ahead of his time, suggested to his Jesuit friends on the China mission how to clarify the mystery of the trinity by using the newly discovered imaginary numbers as an analogue of the Holy Spirit. It is not clear whether the Jesuits took Leibniz's advice. Although the mission had frightful dangers, savage martydoms and terrible disappointments there were times when the Jesuits enjoyed great prestige, independence and authority. One such time, during the reign of Emperor K'ang Hsi, was the tenure of the Flemish Jesuit Ferdinand Verbiest as President of the Board of Mathematics. Verbiest died 300 years ago on the 27th of January in 1688, was buried with imperial honors. Verbiest then audaciously suggested that the mistakes in the Chinese calendar be corrected. His predecessors had inserted an extra month to cover previous errors and Verbiest insisted that it be eliminated. Alarmed that such a public document as the nation's calendar used by millions,which had been approved and promulgated by the Emperor, should be altered, the officials begged Verbiest to withdraw the suggestion. He replied, "It is not within my power to make the heavens agree with your calendar. The extra month must be taken out." It was, and Verbiest had won an astonishing victory. After this Verbiest had a real friend in the Emperor K'ang Hsi who was eager to share his knowledge. Verbiest taught him geometry, and in doing so translated the first six books of Euclid into Manchu. He instructed him also in philosophy and music. In doing this he took advantage of every opportunity to introduce Christianity. The Emperor elevated him to the highest grade of the mandarinate and gave him permission to preach Christianity anywhere in the empire.
Born: 11 March 1811 in Saint-Lo, France
Died: 23 Sept 1877 in Paris, France
His main work was in celestial mechanics. Working independently of Adams, Le Verrier calculated the position of Neptune from irregularities in Uranus's orbit. As one of his colleagues said:- ... he discovered a star with the tip of his pen, without any instruments other than the strength of his calculations alone.
Biography