“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.” -- French philosopher, mathematician and inventor Blaise Pascal, who was born 397 years ago today, from his posthumous collection of thoughts Pensées (1670). Pascal is also credited with the invention of the first digital calculator, the Pascaline, to aid his father's work as a tax administrator. His work in mathematics formed the basis for theories of probability and calculus, as well as hydraulic dynamics.
(photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
