Abraham de Moivre

Abraham de Moivre (May 26, 1667 – November 27, 1754) was a French mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to probability theory, trigonometry, and the foundations of modern statistics. Born in Vitry-le-François, de Moivre initially studied theology but developed a passion for mathematics after reading Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica. Fleeing religious persecution in France, he settled in England where he became a tutor and later a fellow of the Royal Society. De Moivre is best known for de Moivre's theorem, which relates complex numbers to trigonometry, and his pioneering work on the normal distribution—he discovered that the binomial distribution approaches the normal distribution as sample size increases, a foundational principle of statistics. He also made significant advances in probability theory, including early work on annuities and insurance mathematics. His book The Doctrine of Chances (1718) became the standard reference on probability for over a century and earned him recognition as one of the founders of modern probability theory. De Moivre's work bridged geometry and algebra, contributing to the development of analytic geometry and calculus. Despite his brilliance and contributions to mathematics, he lived modestly in England, earning income through tutoring and consultation on mathematical problems. His legacy endures in the mathematical theorems and statistical methods bearing his name, which remain essential to modern mathematics and scientific research.