Considered the founder of descriptive and differential geometry, Gaspard Monge was one of the most famous mathematicians of his day and renowned for his application of geometry to problems of construction. A man of many interests, Monge also worked in chemistry and physics, as well as education, training a generation of mathematicians and paving the way for the extension of his theories to projective geometry. A fervent republican, Monge was a supporter of the French Revolution, and was for a time minister of the navy. He helped to establish the metric systemand was a founder of the École Polytechnique, which he directed in its early years. Made a count in 1808, Monge is sometimes known as Comte de Peluse. His major work, Geometrie descriptive, leads directly to the methods employed in modern mechanical drawing known as orthographic projection.

Monge was born on May 9, 1746, in Beaune, France, to Jacques...