John Wallis was a founding member of the Royal Society, one of the oldest scientific organizations still in existence, and is considered by many the most influential British mathematician preceding Isaac Newton. He contributed the earliest forms, terms, and notations to nascent fields such as calculus and analysis. Wallis was the first to attempt to write a comprehensive history of British mathematics, striving to bring continuity to mathematical study and research. Among the many classical tracts Wallis translated and edited are two major works of Archimedes. He was also involved in government; as the Parliamentarians' cryptographer, Wallis was instrumental in deciphering enemy codes during the English Civil War. Not all of Wallis' discoveries were valid, as shown by the rare example of an attempt to analyze Euclid's fifth postulate in 1663 that turned out to be a trivial proof.

Wallis was born on November 23, 1616, to John and Joanna...