René Descartes, the man whose name has become synonymous with mathematical rigor, was a French mathematician, physicist and philosopher.
His reflections in the Discourse on Method revolutionized thinking in natural philosophy. He proposed a new method based on what he called methodical doubt. This led him to doubt his own existence, and to utter the famous phrase "I think, therefore I am".
In mathematics, several thinking tools bear his name, such as the Cartesian coordinate system in analytic geometry and the Cartesian product in set theory. In addition, he reformed the algebraic notation system, introducing the use of the letters a, b, c to designate known values and the letters x, y, z to indicate unknown values.
In optics, he was responsible for the laws of light refraction.
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1596: On March 31st, René Descartes is born in La Haye, Touraine.
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1616: Descartes obtains a law degree from the University of Poitiers.
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1627 - 1628: Descartes writes Rules for the Direction of the Mind.
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1637: The Discourse of Method is published in French, in Leiden, without author's name.
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1641: Descartes publishes his Meditations on First Philosophy in Paris.
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1642: The University of Utrecht condemns Descartes' new philosophy, without naming him.
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1649: He moves to Sweden at the request of Queen Christine.
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1649: Passions of the Soul is published in French in Paris.
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1650: On February 11, in Stockholm, Descartes dies of pneumonia.