Leonhard Euler was born in Basel, Switzerland on April 15, 1707. His father, Paul Euler, studied theology at the University of Basel. Paul Euler becomes a Protestant pastor and marries Margaret Brucker. Leonhard Euler was born in Basel, but the family moved to Riehen when he was one year old. It was in Riehen, not far from Basel, that Leonhard grew up. Paul Euler had a college education and, therefore, training in mathematics. He was able to teach his son elementary mathematics as well as other subjects (Leonhard Euler). Leonhard was sent to school in Basel and lived during this period with his maternal grandmother. The school was rather poor and Euler did not learn any mathematics there. However, his father's teaching had awakened his interest in mathematics. He read mathematics books and articles on his own and took private lessons (Leonhard Euler). In 1723, Euler completed his master's degree in philosophy. Which means he graduated from college at sixteen or seventeen. He began his theological studies in the fall of 1723, which was his father's dream. Although he was a devoted Christian all his life, he did not have the same enthusiasm for studying theology as he did for mathematics. Euler gained permission from his father to turn to mathematics after Johann Bernoulli persuaded him. Since Paul Euler and Johann Bernoulli had become friends when Paul was at university, persuading Paul was not a difficult task (Leonhard Euler). Euler completed his studies at the University of Basel in 1726, when he was around twenty years old. He studied various mathematics books and articles during his stay in Basel. Euler read numerous texts on the advice of Johann Bernoulli. His reading list contains works by Varignon, Descartes, Newt...... middle of paper ......letter "f" and parentheses for a function; the use of the symbol π for the circumference/diameter ratio in a circle; and i for √ (-1) (Leonhard Euler). Shortly after his arrival in St. Petersburg, a cataract formed in his remaining good eye and he spent the last years of his life in total blindness. His productivity remained intact, despite a total loss of vision, supported by an extraordinary memory and a remarkable facility for mental calculation. His interests were broad and his Letters to a Princess of Germany in 1768-1772 were an admirably clear exposition of the basic principles of mechanics, optics, acoustics and physical astronomy (Leonhard Euler). Leonhard Euler died on September 18, 1783 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He played an essential role in furthering knowledge on several different subjects, including calculus, astronomy and acoustics..