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'''Henri Poincaré''' (1854-1912) was a French "mathematician, geometer, philosopher, and man of letters, who was a kind of poet of the infinite, a kind of bard of science."<ref>This quote is from his funeral.  See http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Poincare.html</ref> Today he is best known for being one of the first to propose the special theory of relativity.  Due to a childhood illness (diphtheria), he was originally taught at home by his mother.<ref>http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Poincare.html</ref>

'''Henri Poincaré''' (1854-1912) was a French "mathematician, geometer, philosopher, and man of letters, who was a kind of poet of the infinite, a kind of bard of science."<ref>This quote is from his funeral.  See http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Poincare.html</ref> Today he is best known for being one of the first to propose the special theory of relativity.  Due to a childhood illness (diphtheria), he was originally taught at home by his mother.<ref>http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Poincare.html</ref>

When Poincaré later enrolled in school he was a brilliant student, excelling in nearly every subject in the Lycée (now renamed after him) and winning first prizes in a competition among the top students from all the Lycées across France. He did not learn by rote memorization, however, but by linking ideas in a visual manner, an approach attributed to his poor eyesight that prevented him from seeing what was on the blackboard. He received a doctoral degree in mathematics based on a thesis in differential mathematics that some of his reviewers criticized. He then taught in a university, where he also had critics of his disorganized style, but in 1886 gained an appointment to a prestigious chair of mathematical physics and probability at the Sorbonne. He taught there until his death at age 58.  

When Poincaré later enrolled in school, he was a brilliant student, excelling in nearly every subject in the Lycée (now renamed after him) and winning first prizes in a competition among the top students from all the Lycées across France. He did not learn by rote memorization, however, but by linking ideas in a visual manner, an approach attributed to his poor eyesight that prevented him from seeing what was on the blackboard. He received a doctoral degree in mathematics based on a thesis in differential mathematics that some of his reviewers criticized. He then taught in a university, where he also had critics of his disorganized style, but in 1886 gained an appointment to a prestigious chair of mathematical physics and probability at the Sorbonne. He taught there until his death at age 58.  

Poincaré invented algebraic topology, and for 40 years afterwards virtually all work in this field were based on six papers written by him in the late 1890s. He proposed the [[Poincaré conjecture]] in 1904 and it remained unproven until 2003.<ref>http://mathworld.wolfram.com/PoincareConjecture.html</ref>

Poincaré invented algebraic topology, and for 40 years afterwards virtually all work in this field were based on six papers written by him in the late 1890s. He proposed the [[Poincaré conjecture]] in 1904 and it remained unproven until 2003.<ref>http://mathworld.wolfram.com/PoincareConjecture.html</ref>