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LEIBNIZ's LIFE and WORKS.

Paris Years (1672-1676)

YEAR EVENTS, PUBLISHINGS, WRITINGS note
1672
Mar
sent to Paris for diplomatic purpose ( realization of Concilium Aegyptiacum).
1672
au-
tumn
first contact with Christiaan Huygens.

Huygens recommends Leibniz to read John Wallis, Arithmetica infinitorum and Gregorius a S. Vincentio, Opus geometricum.
1673
Jan
a visit to London for diplomatic purpose.
1673
Jan
to
Feb
in London.
meets Heinrich Oldenburg, the secretary of the Royal Society, and presents a model of his calculator (not yet completed) at the Royal Society.
meets Robert Boyle.
Robert Hook criticizes his calculator.
became a member of the Royal Society.
Boyle

Hook
1673
after
Mar
through a controversy with British mathematicians, realizes his deficiency in mathematical knowledge. Leibniz consults with Huygens, and then studies latest and advanced mathematics (reads Pascal, Huygens, Descartes, James Gregory and others').

the beginning of a career as a mathematician.
1674
Sep
lost a job (as the tutor of the son of Boineburg), and then he earns his living mainly as a legal counselor.

contacts with Colbert, researches the French way of economy and industry.
1675
Jan
completion of his calculator and the presentation at the Academy of Science.
1675
Dec
writes to Johann Friedrich, Duke of Hannover, accepting his invitation to come to Hannover.
1675
Oct
a remarkable progress in the calculus.

the signs "dx" (for differential) and "the long S" (for the sum or integration) (very common to us today) appear in his manuscript.
Boyer

Cajori
1676
Jan
a letter from Hannover

ordering Leibniz to come to Hannover as soon as possible and get to work (as the councilor and librarian).
but Leibniz wanted and tried to get a job at the Academy of Science, delayed his departure as possible.
1676
Oct
couldn' t get a job, and finally left Paris for Hannover.
1676
Oct
a short stop in London.

showed Oldenburg his calculator, read Newton's manuscript.
1676
Nov
at the port of Sheerness (the mouth of the Thames), a storm stopped the ship (a yacht to Germany with wine) for 6 days, and Leibniz spent the time in meditating on universal language and universal characters.
1676
Nov
a short stop

in Holland.
met Jean Swammerdam (natural historian) and Johann Hudde (mathematician) in Amsterdam.
met Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (natural historian) in Delft, tried microscopes.
met Spinoza in Hague.

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