Andrew J. Wiles conquered the most famous unsolved problem in mathematics--Fermat's Last Theorem, a conjecture that has frustrated professional and amateur mathematicians for more than 300 years. While the proof was a personal and professional victory of monumental proportions, the lasting value of Wiles' solution is the application of his innovative techniques to a wide range of other problems. Wiles was respected as a talented mathematician well before he announced his triumph on June 23, 1993, at the age of 40. John H. Coates, Wiles' former graduate studies advisor, wrote in Notices of the AMS that by 1986, Wiles already stood "amongst the select few over the last 150 years who have made profound contributions to algebraic number theory." Since proving Fermat's Last Theorem, Wiles has received many prestigious awards, including the Wolf, Schock, and Cole Prizes, and the National Academy of Sciences Award in Mathematics.

Andrew John Wiles was born in Cambridge, England...