Math! Science! History!

What happens when women gather?
Throughout the eighteenth century, women across Europe began creating intellectual communities where they could discuss science, mathematics, philosophy, politics, literature, and medicine. During the Enlightenment, these gatherings helped women challenge the idea that intellectual discovery belonged exclusively to men.
Women such as Laura Bassi, Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Émilie du Châtelet, Catharine Macaulay, Caroline Herschel, and many others built on one another's work and created a path for future generations of women in science.
And that path matters far beyond science. When women gather, exchange knowledge, encourage one another, and make room for the next woman, they can change science, politics, education, and society.
Resources
• Read the original "When Women Gather" article
• Download my list of eighteenth-century women in science
• Laura Bassi,  University of Bologna
• Émilie du Châtelet's translation of Newton's Principia,  Bibliothèque nationale de France
• A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,  Library of Congress
• Caroline Herschel,  Royal Astronomical Society
A Note from Gabrielle
After seven years of making Math! Science! History!, I am putting the podcast on hiatus.
This isn't goodbye. It is a pause, and a chance to step back, breathe, and think about what comes next.
Thank you for gathering with me all these years. As this episode reminds us, when women gather, we share knowledge, empower one another, and create paths for the women who come after us.
And that is a pretty wonderful place to pause.
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
 
🌍 Let's Connect!
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social
YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube
Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/GabrielleBirchak  
🎧 Enjoying the Podcast?
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Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
Until 2027, carpe diem!

Your job is what you do, not who you are - and that distinction could change your life. Gabrielle Birchak spotlights the astonishing story of Paul Tannery, a daytime engineer in the French tobacco administration whose after-hours curiosity helped reshape the history of mathematics and science.If you've ever felt like your work has started to define your entire identity, this episode offers a powerful reset. Gabrielle makes the case for building a second life around curiosity, hobby, and learning - not as a luxury, but as a source of well-being, purpose, and even legacy.You'll discover:
·         Why meaningful interests outside work are linked to lower stress and higher life satisfaction
·         How hobbies and non-work activities can strengthen mental health across cultures
·         Why curiosity matters even when it never becomes "productive"
·         The surprising power of sharing what you learn with other people
·         A simple 20-minute weekly practice to become more than your job title
Gabrielle connects Tannery's life to modern research, including findings on psychological detachment from work and global studies on hobby engagement and mental well-being. The result is a short episode with a big message: the things you pursue for joy may end up shaping your life more than the work that pays the bills. Perfect for anyone feeling stuck in their role, hungry for a fuller identity, or looking for permission to follow their curiosity again. If you need a reminder that learning for its own sake still matters, this one will leave you thinking differently about your time, your talents, and your future.
Notable Quotes
·         "Your job is what you do, but it does not have to be who you are."
·         "Curiosity is not a distraction from life. It is one of the things that makes life richer."
·         "Knowledge grows when it is shared."
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
 
🎧 Enjoying the Podcast? 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store
Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selection is from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!
Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!
Until next time, carpe diem!

Paul Tannery didn't begin his career intending to become one of the most influential historians of mathematics. He trained as an engineer at the École Polytechnique and spent much of his professional life working in France's state tobacco administration. But after work, Tannery pursued a very different passion: ancient mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and the history of science.
What began as an intellectual interest became a lifetime of scholarship.
3 TAKEAWAYS:
1. How Paul Tannery transformed a personal passion into groundbreaking scholarship
2. Why Tannery believed historical claims needed evidence, not repetition
3. Why your "side interest" may matter more than you realize
 
RESOURCES:
Paul Tannery — MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
René Taton, "Paul Tannery (1843–1904)
Palatine Library - Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta
 
🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
🎧 Enjoying the Podcast?
☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal
Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!
Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store
Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
Waiting for You by Pawel Feszczuk – from Free Music Archive – CC 4.0
Train by Sergey Cheremisinov -from Free Music Archive – CC 4.0
Serene Sonnet by Oleskii Holubiev from Pixabay – CC 0.0
Until next time, carpe diem!

In this episode of Momentum Monday, I cover how the ancient mathematician Diophantus, who revolutionized problem-solving by focusing on relationships between numbers, can inspire us to rethink our own relationships. Instead of fixating on fixing others, I challenge you to observe, question, and experiment with your connections, just like solving an equation. Whether it's a coworker, family member, or friend, I share how curiosity, pattern recognition, and small changes can shift the momentum in your favor. Plus, I reference research from Albert Bandura, Daniel Kahneman, and B.F. Skinner to ground these ideas in psychology.
🔗 Sources & Further Reading:
Diophantus and the Birth of Algebra
Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory
Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow
B.F. Skinner Science and Human Behavior
 
3 Things You'll Learn
How to observe relationships like a mathematician, identify patterns, not just problems.
Why questioning your assumptions (e.g., "Are they ignoring me or overwhelmed?") prevents misunderstandings.
How to experiment with small changes to shift the dynamic in any relationship.
 
 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h
🎧 Enjoying the Podcast? 🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal
Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!
Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store
Music: All music is Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from Violin Machine: A Deconstruction of the Bach Concerto by Lloyd Rodgers
Until next time, carpe diem!

AI may verify proofs, but it can't replace curiosity. In this episode, I travel back nearly 1,800 years to meet Diophantus of Alexandria and explore how his approach to mathematics still shapes modern problem-solving, from Fermat's Last Theorem to today's AI-assisted research. Along the way, we discover why the real value of mathematics isn't finding answers. it's learning how to think.
🌐 Website: https://www.MathScienceHistory.com
☕Support the show: https://paypal.com/ncp/payment/PR7F7ST49GDNA
• Discover why Diophantus is considered one of history's most influential mathematicians.
• Learn how his work inspired Fermat's Last Theorem centuries later.
• Explore whether AI is changing mathematics. or simply giving mathematicians better tools.
Follow the show, subscribe wherever you listen, and leave a review to help others discover Math! Science! History!
Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers
Valorium – by It's Trigi – No Copyright and no rights reserved
Documentary Background – by MiroMax Music – No Copyright and no rights reserved
Blackbook 7/1/01 from On The Sensations of Tone – by Lloyd Rodgers – No Copyright and no rights reserved
Galliard á3 in g by Orlando Gibbons - recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dr. Phillip W. Serna - licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
Cute loop [c major] [93bpm] by deadrobotmusic -- https://freesound.org/s/555708/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform
Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!
Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!

Until next time, carpe diem! - Gabrielle