Émilie du Châtelet

From the Daily Maverick:

Émilie du Châtelet could possibly be one of the greatest female intellectuals, mathematicians and thinkers in history, but the love of Voltaire’s life who contributed significantly to the Enlightenment all but vanished from the history books. That is until science author David Bodanis stumbled across her and decided to ensure she wouldn’t be forgotten.

One of her greatest accomplishments was the translation of Newton’s Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). The achievement is remarkable when one realises that she made what is considered one of the greatest texts in the history of science accessible and that, three and a half centuries after it was originally published, it still remains the standard French translation.

Hypatia: The Movie

From The Examiner:

Filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar is bringing the story of Hypatia and the fall of the Library of Alexandria to the big screen in his new epic film, Agora, starring Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, the last currator of The Library of Alexandria, The film has already premiered at cannes.

Hypatia was a mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and librarian working in a man’s world in 4th century A.D. Egypt before a Christian mob violently murdered her, destroyed the Library of Alexandria, and brought about the beginning of the Dark Ages. Hypatia struggled to preserve scientific knowledge amid militant Christianity. But she failed. The Christians declared her a witch, stripped her, dragged her body through the streets, and burned her at the stake before destroying the library, leading the Western world into a thousand years of darkness. She died a hero and a martyr for science and reason.

See also: TIFF Review