March 05

Born in Kraków in 1335, Matthew studied and later taught at the University of Prague, earning a reputation as a leading theologian. He critiqued corruption within the Church and urged stricter discipline among the clergy. His published treatises and sermons reached audiences across Central Europe, advocating for popular devotion and ethical conduct. Though he remained loyal to Rome, his calls for reform influenced later movements seeking to address clerical abuses. Matthew’s blend of scholarship and moral exhortation left a lasting impact on medieval theological thought.

Born in 1523 in Reggio Emilia, Panciroli studied law at the University of Bologna before securing professorships at Ferrara and Padua. He authored 'De claris legum interpretibus', highlighting the contributions of Roman jurists, and 'Rerum memorabilium', a compilation of notable antiquities. His scholarship merged legal analysis with historical inquiry, reflecting the humanist spirit of his age. Panciroli’s works were widely circulated and used as reference texts by lawyers and antiquarians across Europe. He died in 1599, leaving a lasting mark on both jurisprudence and early modern antiquarian studies.

Carl Franz Mesmer was born in 1734 in Iznang, Germany, and earned his medical degree from the University of Vienna. He introduced the theory of 'animal magnetism', proposing an invisible fluid that could influence human health and behavior. Mesmer conducted public treatments and demonstrations that attracted widespread attention in late 18th-century Europe. His practices, later termed 'mesmerism', became the foundation for the development of hypnotism. Despite controversies and official commissions refuting his magnetic fluid theory, Mesmer's work influenced the history of psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Pierre-Simon Laplace was born in 1749 in Beaumont-en-Auge, France, and became one of the greatest mathematicians of his era. He formulated the nebular hypothesis to explain the formation of the solar system and made fundamental contributions to celestial mechanics in his five-volume 'Mécanique céleste'. Laplace also developed important tools in probability theory, including the Bayesian interpretation of probability. He served as mathematician to Napoleon and later as a high-ranking official under the French government. Laplace's work laid the foundations for modern mathematical physics and statistics, and his name endures in concepts like the Laplace transform and Laplace's equation.

Alessandro Volta was born in 1745 in Como, Italy, and became a pioneering physicist in the study of electricity. He discovered methane gas and invented the voltaic pile—the first chemical battery—in 1800, enabling sustained electric current. Volta's work established the field of electrochemistry and earned him the presidency of the Royal Society in 1815. The unit of electric potential, the volt, is named in his honor, reflecting his lasting impact on science. He died in 1827, leaving a legacy as one of the founders of modern electrical science.

Hippolyte Taine (1828–1893) pioneered a scientific approach to history and literary criticism, emphasizing the roles of race, environment, and moment in shaping events. His multi-volume works on the history of English literature and the French Revolution challenged romantic narratives with detailed empirical analysis. Taine's theories deeply influenced positivism and the school of naturalism in literature. He held professorships at the Collège de France and the École des Hautes Études, mentoring prominent intellectuals. His critical writings on art and poetry set new standards for cultural studies. Though controversial for his deterministic views, Taine's methodology left a lasting mark on 19th-century thought and modern humanities scholarship.

Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, 1st Baronet (1810–1895), served in the British East India Company and rose to the rank of general. Stationed in Persia, he painstakingly copied the Behistun Inscription, enabling the decipherment of cuneiform script. His work laid the foundation for modern Assyriology and the study of ancient Near Eastern history. Rawlinson published seminal texts on Babylonian and Persian inscriptions, earning international recognition. He later served as a member of Parliament, advocating for archaeological research and the preservation of antiquities. His scholarly and military achievements bridged the worlds of empire and academia, solidifying his place in 19th-century oriental studies.

Friedrich Blass (1843–1907) was a leading German classical philologist who specialized in Greek literature and linguistics. His "Grammar of Attic Greek" became a standard reference for scholars and students of the language. Blass held professorships at the Universities of Tübingen and Göttingen, mentoring a generation of philologists. He published critical editions of Greek texts, including works by Euripides and Aristophanes. His research emphasized meticulous linguistic analysis, advancing the study of the Greek dialects. Blass's scholarship profoundly influenced classical studies, shaping modern understandings of ancient Greek grammar and literature.

Johan Ludwig William Valdemar Jensen (1859–1925) made lasting contributions to mathematics and engineering. His eponymous Jensen's inequality is a fundamental result in convex analysis and probability theory. Jensen studied engineering at the Polytechnic Institute in Copenhagen and later worked in the Danish Navy's technical service. He applied mathematical principles to mechanical engineering problems, bridging theory and practice. Jensen published papers on elasticity and hydraulics, influencing both academia and industry. His work laid groundwork for modern functional analysis and continues to be employed across diverse scientific fields.

Franz Mertens (1840–1927) specialized in number theory and contributed key results on prime numbers and divisor functions. He is best known for formulating the Mertens function and Mertens theorems, which relate to the distribution of zeros of the Riemann zeta function. Mertens studied at the University of Vienna and later held a professorship at the University of Graz. He supervised many doctoral candidates and published influential textbooks on algebra and analysis. His meticulous research advanced the study of arithmetic functions and asymptotic analysis. Mertens's work remains integral to modern analytic number theory and the ongoing investigation of the Riemann Hypothesis.

Reşit Galip (1893–1934) played a prominent role in the early Republic of Turkey's educational reforms. As the sixth Minister of National Education, he championed literacy campaigns and the adoption of the Latin-based Turkish alphabet. Galip lectured in medicine at Istanbul University and contributed to public health initiatives. He advocated for modernizing curricula and promoting cultural unity across Anatolia. Galip's tenure saw the expansion of primary education and teacher training programs nationwide. His blended career in academia and politics helped shape Turkey's secular and national identity during a transformative era.

Father Roque Ruaño (1877–1935) was a Spanish Dominican friar and civil engineer. He earned a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Ghent and specialized in reinforced concrete design. Ruaño is best known for the earthquake-resistant engineering of the University of Santo Tomas Main Building in Manila, completed in 1927. His innovative use of reinforced concrete made it one of the first earthquake-resilient university buildings in Asia. He authored technical papers on modern construction techniques and contributed to engineering education. Ruaño's work stands as a landmark in early 20th-century structural design, blending faith and science in service of educational architecture.