An almost entirely self-educated man, Thomas Simpson is most famous for the advances he made in the areas of interpolation and numerical methods of integration, although he also did work on probability theory. His enthusiasm and energy led him to produce many books that were popular in his day.

Simpson, the son of a weaver, was born in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England on August 20, 1710. Although his father pressured Simpson to follow in his professional footsteps, Simpson wanted to do something different. At a young age he moved to the town of Nuneaton, where he began supplementing his meager formal education by studying on his own and weaving to make a living. A peddler wandering through the town loaned Simpson books on mathematics and astrology, which Simpson studied intently. He was also motivated in his studies by wanting to understand an eclipse that he witnessed in 1724.

Anecdotal records suggest...