Pythagoras

ancient greece · mathematics · philosophy · geometry

The Pythagorean Theorem. Pythagoras discovered that in a right triangle, the square of the longest side equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides. This mathematical rule is still taught in schools today and helps builders, architects, and engineers solve real-world problems.

Secret school society. Around 530 BC, Pythagoras founded a school in Italy where students had to keep all the teachings secret and live together simply, with no fancy possessions. Members were so loyal that they followed strict rules about what they could eat and when they could speak.

Numbers rule everything. Pythagoras believed that numbers weren't just for counting, but were the foundation of all reality in the universe. He thought harmony in music, beauty in art, and order in nature all came down to special number patterns.

Traveled far and wide. Before starting his famous school, Pythagoras journeyed from his home on the Greek island of Samos to study knowledge from Egypt, Babylon, and other ancient lands. He brought back ideas that shaped Western thinking for thousands of years.

Influenced great thinkers. Pythagoras's ideas were so powerful that they inspired famous philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, who then influenced how all of Western philosophy developed.