In 1696, the Swiss mathematician Johann Bernoulli challenged the scientists of the world to solve a problem he proposed.
It was a very difficult problem, so he allowed six months for the solution. At the end of the six months, there were no solutions.
The German mathematician, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who is given credit along with Isaac Newton for inventing calculus, thought he was close and requested two more months.
He was granted the extension but was still unable to solve the problem.
The problem was published in a science journal and brought to the attention of Newton.
Newton sat down and solved the problem in one night.
He submitted the answer anonymously, but it wasn’t hard for Bernoulli to realize who had solved it.
Bernoulli said, “I recognize the claw of the lion.”
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