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George Boole was a mostly self-taught, famous mathematician who introduced Boolean Algebra, which has been fundamental in the development of modern day computers and digital electronics. The crater "Boole" on the Moon is also named after him.
Biography
George Boole was born 2 November 1815 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England and was christened 3 November 1815 at St. Swithins, Lincoln. He was the first child born to John Boole and Mary Ann Joyce.
George had little formal education and was self-taught in many languages. By age 16 he became a school teacher working in Doncaster. He was also the major breadwinner for his family, as his father's business had collapsed.
In 1834, at just age 19, George opened his own school on Free School Lane, Lincoln. He developed an interest in mathematics, as he was teaching the subject. Four years later he moved his family to Waddington, where he took over Hall's Academy after its owner died. He continued to learn mathematics and began publishing research papers.
George moved back to Lincoln in 1840, where he opened a boarding school and continued publishing papers on mathematics. His fame began when he won the Gold Medal from the Royal Society in November 1844. In 1849, he moved to Cork, Ireland, where he became the first professor of mathematics at Queen's College Cork, and also where he met his future wife and fellow mathematician, Mary Everest.
By 1851, George was elected Dean of Science at the college. In 1854, he published his most important work, "An Investigation of the Laws of Thought on Which are Founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probabilities", where he introduced what later became modern day Boolean Algebra. In 1855, he was awarded the Keith medal from the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
George married Mary Everest in 1855 and they went on to have five daughters.
In late November of 1864, George developed pneumonia after walking several miles in heavy rain to the college to give a lecture. When he returned home, his wife put him to bed, and, believing that cures should resemble the cause, poured buckets of water over him. Sadly, this made his condition worse, and George Boole died on 8 December 1864, at the age of 49, and is buried at St. Michael's Church of Ireland Churchyard in Blackrock, Cork, Ireland.
Sources
See Also:
- Wikipedia
- Boole Crater
- Wikidata: Item Q134661
