Biography quiz

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1. New from Fibonacci

The great medieval mathematician known as Fibonacci produced a series of important works in the early 13th century. One important innovation in his writings was...

2. Renaissance man

Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576), the great mathematician, physician, astrologer and scholar who founded probability theory, led a colorful and controversial life that included time spent in prison for the crime of...

3. Harvey’s contribution

William Harvey, a 17th-century English scientist, made an important contribution to biology with his:

4. Qui était-il?

The 18th-century French intellectual François-Marie Arouet is better known by another name. He was:

5. Triple threat

What were the professional skills of Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (1743-1795)?

6. The greatest composer

Ludwig van Beethoven declared in 1806 that another composer of his acquaintance was the greatest of any then living. Which of his contemporaries had impressed him so deeply?

7. Monumental discoveries

The 19th-century French archeologist Jean-François Champollion (1790-1832) is most famous for his discovery of:

8. Napoleon’s last sit

In which ocean is the island of St. Helena, site of Napoleon’s final imprisonment?

9. Byron’s daughter

Ada Lovelace, daughter of the poet Byron, lived a brief but full life, ended by illness in 1852 when she was just 36. By then she had made her own contribution to history as a pioneer in which field?

10. Darwin’s daily doings

Charles Darwin, the great evolutionary theorist, was a man of fixed habits. For much of his adult life, his daily routine always included: