Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

mathematician · polymath · calculus · genius

Co-invented calculus. Leibniz independently created calculus around the same time as Isaac Newton, and his version became the foundation for how math is taught today. His clever notation and symbols made calculus easier to understand and use.

Created binary arithmetic. Leibniz discovered that all numbers could be expressed using just 0s and 1s. This binary system became the basis for modern computers and digital technology centuries later.

Master of everything. Leibniz was so brilliantly skilled across so many different fields that people called him the last universal genius. After his time, people started specializing in just one or two subjects instead of knowing about everything.

Wrote about almost anything. Leibniz published works on philosophy, theology, physics, music, law, economics, and even games. His curious mind couldn't help exploring every subject he encountered.

Ideas ahead of his time. Leibniz imagined concepts in probability, biology, psychology, and computer science that scientists wouldn't fully develop until centuries after he died.