Paul Tannery: The Tobacco Engineer Who Changed the History of Math
Math! Science! History!
Paul Tannery didn't begin his career intending to become one of the most influential historians of mathematics. He trained as an engineer at the École Polytechnique and spent much of his professional life working in France's state tobacco administration. But after work, Tannery pursued a very different passion: ancient mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and the history of science. What began as an intellectual interest became a lifetime of scholarship. 3 TAKEAWAYS: 1. How Paul Tannery transformed a personal passion into groundbreaking scholarship 2. Why Tannery believed historical claims...
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MOMENTUM! Solve Your Relationship Equations
Math! Science! History!
In this episode of Momentum Monday, I cover how the ancient mathematician Diophantus, who revolutionized problem-solving by focusing on relationships between numbers, can inspire us to rethink our own relationships. Instead of fixating on fixing others, I challenge you to observe, question, and experiment with your connections, just like solving an equation. Whether it’s a coworker, family member, or friend, I share how curiosity, pattern recognition, and small changes can shift the momentum in your favor. Plus, I reference research from Albert...
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Diophantus, AI, and the Lost Art of Thinking
Math! Science! History!
AI may verify proofs, but it can't replace curiosity. In this episode, I travel back nearly 1,800 years to meet Diophantus of Alexandria and explore how his approach to mathematics still shapes modern problem-solving, from Fermat's Last Theorem to today's AI-assisted research. Along the way, we discover why the real value of mathematics isn't finding answers. it's learning how to think. 🌐 Website: ☕Support the show: • Discover why Diophantus is considered one of history's most influential mathematicians. • Learn how his work inspired Fermat's Last Theorem centuries later. •...
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REPOST: From Ancient Greece to AI: Can Mathematics Really Be Patented?
Math! Science! History!
Can mathematics be patented? In this episode, I explore one of the most fascinating questions in mathematics, intellectual property, and computer science by tracing the history of patents from the ancient world to today's software and AI algorithms. Along the way, we'll discover why mathematical ideas themselves remain unpatentable while the innovative ways we apply them can change technology, and the future. 🌐 Website: ☕Support the show: You'll learn: • Why mathematics itself cannot be patented but mathematical applications sometimes can. • How ancient patent and copyright ideas...
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FLASHCARDS! Think Like John Dalton: 3 Scientific Habits You Already Use
Math! Science! History!
You don't have to be a famous chemist to think like one. This week, I share three "flashcards" inspired by John Dalton that reveal how you're already using the same habits of observation, organization, and intellectual curiosity that have fueled scientific discovery for centuries. 🌐 Website: ☕Support the show: You'll learn: • Why noticing everyday patterns is the first step of scientific thinking. • How organizing information is one of the most powerful skills of mathematicians and scientists. • Why changing your mind when new evidence appears is a sign of wisdom—not...
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MOMENTUM! 3 Success Lessons from John Dalton That Will Change Your Week
Math! Science! History!
Success doesn't begin with talent, it begins with the habits you practice when no one is watching. This week, I share three powerful life lessons from chemist John Dalton that can help you build momentum, overcome obstacles, and develop the kind of character that earns lasting respect. 🌐 Website: ☕Support the show: You'll learn: • How to move forward even when opportunities seem out of reach. • Why consistent daily habits create extraordinary results over time. • How humility and genuine relationships build a legacy that lasts. Follow the podcast, subscribe on your...
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REPOST: How John Dalton's Atomic Theory Changed Science Forever
Math! Science! History!
I'm revisiting one of my first episodes: the story of John Dalton, the self-taught Quaker schoolteacher who never attended university yet gave modern atomic theory its first real momentum. Barred from English universities for his faith, Dalton turned stubborn curiosity into world-changing science, mapping colorblindness before anyone understood it and sketching the first table of elements in a notebook. This is how one weaver's son carried science from a Cumberland village to the Large Hadron Collider. You'll learn: • How a Quaker weaver's son barred from university built the...
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FLASHCARDS! Francis Bacon, Margaret Mead, and Paul Erdős on the Science of Everyday Thinking
Math! Science! History!
Your instinct to question evidence, challenge “the way things are,” and fall in love with a hard problem isn’t a personality quirk; it’s the exact thinking that built modern science, anthropology, and mathematics. In this Flashcards Friday episode, I break down three quick “cards” inspired by Sir Francis Bacon, Margaret Mead, and Paul Erdős, and show how their most famous breakthroughs mirror instincts you already have. This one’s a companion to last Wednesday’s Pride Month special, but it stands entirely on its own. 🌐 Website: ☕Support the show: Three Things...
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MOMENTUM! Paul Erdős's Secret to Beating Burnout and Staying Focused
Math! Science! History!
The fastest way to solve your toughest problem isn't to grind harder on it, it's to rotate your focus across a few problems at once, the way legendary mathematician Paul Erdős juggled hundreds of unsolved problems at a time. In this episode, I break down the neuroscience of why this "interleaving" beats multitasking, and I hand you seven simple tools to build this Erdős Method into your work week and your home life. By the end, you'll have a system for turning stuck, vague problems into ones your brain quietly keeps solving in the background. 🌐 Website: ☕Support the show: ...
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The Alphabet of Brilliance: 8 LGBTQ+ Scientists Who Changed History | Pride Month Special
Math! Science! History!
For Pride Month, I profile eight scientists across eight identities in the 2SLGBTQI+ community. From the equations underpinning modern physics to the brain cells once dismissed as filler tissue, these researchers shaped the world we live in, often while hiding, fighting for, or paying dearly for who they were. Today I trace the lives of Sofia Kovalevskaya, Alan Turing, Margaret Mead, Ben Barres, Christopher Strachey, Magnus Hirschfeld, Paul Erdős, and Lozen, eight stories of brilliance that history tried, and failed, to erase. 3 Things You'll Learn in This Episode How a forged marriage...
info_outlineIn this episode, I tell the story of Mari Wolf, who wrote sharp, unsettling science fiction in the early 1950s while also working in Computing at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her life sits at the intersection of math, imagination, and a Los Angeles culture that treated the future as something you could sketch, test, and argue about late into the night.
We follow her through the worlds that shaped her: the lab, the clubs, and the Mojave. We trace her connection to the Pacific Rocket Society, the fan community of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, and the stories she published under her pen name, including the ones you can still read today.
This episode also pushes back on a familiar historical habit: when a woman builds a body of creative work, institutions too often describe it as a “hobby.” Mari Wolf was not a hobbyist. She was an author, and her work deserves to be treated like the serious, ambitious craft that it was.
Three things you will learn
When imagination becomes engineering - You will hear how mid-century Southern California created a rare ecosystem where rockets, labs, and speculative writing fed each other.
A writer’s life hidden in plain sight - You will learn how fandom, magazines, and local clubs preserved details that formal histories often skip.
Where to read her work today - You will get a practical reading list, including where to find her public-domain stories and the fanzine appearance of “Prejudice.”
Links to resources
· JPL Archives feature on Mari Graham and her science fiction writing.
· Free public-domain Mari Wolf stories (Project Gutenberg author page).
· “Prejudice” in Destiny IX (Winter 1953–54) table of contents and scan access.
· The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction entry on Mari Wolf.
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
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Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
Forever and a Day by Playlistons from Pixabay
Leave it to Me by Brian Welbourne
Raw Vintage Rockabilly by Johnny Hoeve
Traveling and Discovering by Musinova from Pixabay
Marching to Mars SFX by Twisted Sound from Pixabay
Until next time, carpe diem!