Pierre Simon Laplace's work in both celestial mechanics and probabilityrepresent pinnacles of intellectual achievement. Laplace extended the work of Isaac Newton, explaining variations in the planetary orbits and establishing the stability of the solar system. In addition, Laplace's nebular hypothesis used natural law to explain the origins of the solar system, providing a new cosmogony. His work in celestial mechanics led him into the area of statistical inferenceand probability, to which he made substantial contributions. In physics, Laplace's theory of the potential enabled advances in the understanding of electromagnetismand other phenomena. He also predicted the existence of black holes.

Laplace was born on March 23, 1749, in Beaumont-en-Auge, Normandy, France, to Pierre and Marie-Anne Sochon Laplace. His father was in the cider business and an official of the local parish; his mother's family were well-to-do farmers from Tourgéville. Laplace had one sister, Marie-Anne, born in 1745. From age 7 to...