Pascal was born 1623 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He was educated by his father who was a tax collector who had a penchant for mathematics. Upon moving to Paris in his early childhood, his father decided to educate Blaise himself. Remarkably, in his initial curriculum, mathematics was omitted. However the young Pascal was now even more interested in the "forbidden fruit" that was mathematics. He studied geometry on his own and even fabricated his own terminology. Eventually, his father allowed him to read the works of Euclid. Pascal learned many things from reading the works of Euclid. This thing would be important when Pascal began to formulate his own theories.
Some of his inventions include the Pascaline, an early form of the calculator. His primary inspiration for this invention was because of his fathers work as a tax collector. In 1655, Pascal accidentally created a roulette table while trying to create a perpetual motion machine. Pascal's most well known invention is his triangle. His triangle is truly a creation of beauty that has significance far beyond the realm of mathematics.
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