Augustin-Louis Cauchy
1789–1857 · French · Romantic Era
Known for: Established rigorous foundations for calculus and complex analysis
Cauchy published nearly 800 papers and rigorously defined limits, continuity, and convergence—putting calculus on a solid foundation after 150 years of handwaving. He essentially created mathematical analysis as a precise discipline.
He was a prolific author but a terrible colleague—self-righteous, politically conservative, and willing to suppress younger mathematicians' work (most notoriously, losing Galois's papers).
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