Hypatia (ca 410) Hypatia is the first known woman mathematician. She is reported to have written commentaries on Diophantus’s Arithmetica and Apollonius’s Conic Sections. It is known that Hypatia died a violent death when she was seized by an infuriated mob and murdered on the steps of a pagan temple.

Robert Recorde (ca 1510–1558) Robert Recorde was an influential British writer of text books in his time, and is responsible for our modern equals sign. His last years were spent in an Irish prison where he died. It appears that he foresaw his end, for his algebra text The Whetstone of Witte concludes with the lines: ‘Master. But harke, what meaneth that hastie knockyng at the doore? Scholar. It is a messenger. Master. What is the message; tel me in mine eare. Yea Sir is that the matter. Then is there noe remedie, but that I must neglect all studies and teaching, for to withstande those dangers. My fortune is not so good, to haue quiete tyme to teache ... . I mighte haue been quietly permmitted, to rest but a little lõger.’