The Resume

(January 25, 1736-April 10, 1813)
Born in Turin, Italy
Birth name was Giuseppe Luigi Lagrangia
Mathematician and astronomer
Director of Mathematics at the Prussian Academy of Science (1765-86)
Wrote ‘Analytic Mechanics’ (1788-89) and ‘Lessons on the Calculus of Functions’ (1808)
Founding member of the Bureau of Longitude (1795)
Appointed French Senator (1799)
Considered one of the founders of calculus of variations
Proved the theorem that every positive integer can be expressed as the sum of four squares

Why he might be annoying:

He was timid and nervous.
He originally had little interest in mathematics, finding geometry in particular quite boring.
His second wife was his junior by more than 30 years.

Why he might not be annoying:

His interest in mathematics was kindled at age 17 when he read a paper by Edmond Halley; after two years of studying on his own, he was accomplished enough to be appointed an assistant professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy of Piedmont-Sardinia.
His papers won five prizes from the French Academy of Sciences (1764-78).
He was named a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor (1808).

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 18th Century Scientists
• 19th Century Scientists
• An Asteroid was Named in My Honor (Ranked: 1006)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 76]
• I am a Citizen of France
• I am an Agnostic
• I Am Buried at the Pantheon in Paris
• Look at me, I'm Busted
• My Spouse is at Least Ten Years Younger than Me
• Profiles 46751-47000 (Ranked: 46821)
• Scientists

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying