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Joseph Louis Lagrange lived from 1736-1813 which is considered to be the beginnings of Modern Math. He was the oldest of
11 children and one of 2 who survived to adulthood. He was born in Italy (Turin, Sardinia-Piedmont ) but is considered to
be the Italian born French mathematician. His interest in math started when he was a child and for the most part, he was a
self-taught mathematician. By the age of 19, Lagrange was appointed professor of mathematics at the Royal Artillery School
in Turin - after Euler stated how impressed he was with Lagrange's work on the tautochrone demonstrating his method of maxima
and minima titled 'Calculus of Variation'. His discoveries were important to the not yet named subject of 'Calculus'. He received
2 offers to work at the prestigious Berlin Academy and finally accepted the offer and succeeded Euler as the Director of Mathematics
on November 6, 1766 but then moved on to the Paris Academy of Science where he remained for the rest of his career.
Monsieur de la Grange, a young geometer from Turin, has been here for six weeks. He has become quite seriously
ill and he needs, not financial aid, for the Marquis de Caraccioli directed upon leaving for England that he should not lack
for anything, but rather some signs of interest on the part of his native country ... In him Turin possesses a treasure whose
worth it perhaps does not know.
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