Speaker 1: Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm love you, Jai Jones.
Speaker 1: I'm a New York Times best sell an, author, speaker,
Speaker 1: and host of the podcast Professional Troublemaker. I'm so excited
Speaker 1: to be your guest host for this month of Wimaica.
Speaker 1: This month were highlighting prodigies, women who achieved greatness at
Speaker 1: a young age. This is especially a passion point for
Speaker 1: me because my latest book, Rising Troublemaker, a fear fighter
Speaker 1: manual for teens, reminds them that they are never too
Speaker 1: young to make a significant impact. The life of today's
Speaker 1: prodigy was a surprising twist. From a young age, she
Speaker 1: showed incredible talent in math and went on to do
Speaker 1: groundbreaking work in the field. Yet she gave up all
Speaker 1: her academic success to serve the poor and live in poverty.
Speaker 1: She's truly a unique and fascinating figure in the history
Speaker 1: of mathematics. Let's talk about Maria and Yazi. Maria and
Speaker 1: Yayze was born May sixteenth, seventeen eighteen in Milan, Italy.
Speaker 1: She was the eldest child of her father's twenty one
Speaker 1: children born from three separate wives. At that time, it
Speaker 1: wasn't socially acceptable for women to get an education through
Speaker 1: traditional means. However, Maria's own education may have started with
Speaker 1: her sitting in on her brother's tutoring sessions. She showed
Speaker 1: great promise right away. By age five, Maria could speak French.
Speaker 1: In only a few more years, she learned Latin, Greek, Hebrew,
Speaker 1: and more. The local community started to call her the
Speaker 1: seven tongued Orator. At nine years old, Maria memorized and
Speaker 1: recited a speech in Latin that argued for equal educational
Speaker 1: opportunities for women. It would be the first of many
Speaker 1: arguments she made against sexism. Maria's father, a wealthy silk merchant,
Speaker 1: saw Maria's talent as an opportunity to boost the families
Speaker 1: at us. He also sought to continue her education. To
Speaker 1: achieve this, he frequently invited leading academics and intellectuals to
Speaker 1: his home, where Maria could show off. When such academic
Speaker 1: gatherings took place, Maria was an active participant, engaging famous
Speaker 1: scholars in conversations about philosophy and mathematics. By the time
Speaker 1: she was a teenager, Maria was particularly adept at math.
Speaker 1: Despite her considerable talent, Maria was rather shy and mostly
Speaker 1: participated in these intellectual forums to please her father. In
Speaker 1: seventeen thirty two, Maria's mother died in childbirth. After that,
Speaker 1: Maria stepped out of the public eye and took over
Speaker 1: management of the house. At one point she asked her
Speaker 1: father if she could join a convent, but he refused
Speaker 1: to allow it. However, Maria remained a devoted Catholic and
Speaker 1: never married or had any children. In seventeen thirty eight,
Speaker 1: Maria published a collection of essays all about philosophy and
Speaker 1: natural science called Propositions of Philosophy. It was largely based
Speaker 1: on the discussion she heard from the intellectual gatherings in
Speaker 1: her home, but she also argued once again for the
Speaker 1: equal education of women. Maria soon became her younger siblings teacher.
Speaker 1: She had a particular affinity for mathematics for its ability
Speaker 1: to find absolute truths. As she taught her siblings, she
Speaker 1: saw the need for a comprehensive textbook for teaching the
Speaker 1: recent mathematical discoveries of the Enlightenment period. At age twenty,
Speaker 1: she started writing one something. The textbooks started as a
Speaker 1: tool for teaching her siblings, but it quickly grew into
Speaker 1: something much greater. In seventeen forty eight she published the
Speaker 1: two volume textbook Analytical Institutions in Italian rather than Latin,
Speaker 1: to make it more accessible to students. Analytical Institutions rocked
Speaker 1: the world of mathematics. It was among the first works
Speaker 1: with such comprehensive explanations of finite and infant small analysis. Notably,
Speaker 1: Maria's textbook treated calculus as an area of academic pursuit.
Speaker 1: At the time, calculus was mostly seen as a practical science,
Speaker 1: useful mostly for physics applications. The book was later translated
Speaker 1: for use in French and English classrooms. It shaped the
Speaker 1: way instructors taught calculus for generations to come. The praise
Speaker 1: of one famous mathematician, Jean Etienne Montucla, exemplified the sexist
Speaker 1: beliefs in academia at the time. He said, we cannot
Speaker 1: but behold with the greatest astonishment, how a person of
Speaker 1: a sex that seemed so little fitted to tread the
Speaker 1: thorny paths of these abstract sciences penetrate so deeply as
Speaker 1: she has done into all the branches of algebra. Pope
Speaker 1: Benedict the fourteenth praised Maria's textbook for its positive impact
Speaker 1: on Italy's reputation. He appointed Maria as a chair of
Speaker 1: mathematics at the University of Bologna, and the university even
Speaker 1: sent to Maria diploma and added her name to their
Speaker 1: faculty list. However, it's unclear whether she actually traveled to
Speaker 1: the city to accept the post at any point. In
Speaker 1: seventeen fifty two, when her father died, Maria left math
Speaker 1: behind to found a small hospital in her home and
Speaker 1: served the poor. Eventually, she gave away all of her wealth.
Speaker 1: Maria wrote, I hope my studies have brought glory to God.
Speaker 1: Now I have found better ways and means to serve
Speaker 1: God and to be useful to others. Maria and YaCy
Speaker 1: passed away in seventeen ninety nine at age eighty. She
Speaker 1: was poor and out of the limelight. Maria found a
Speaker 1: path of her own in a restrictive society, though she
Speaker 1: ultimately preferred a life of service. She was a passionate
Speaker 1: advocate for women's rights to math and science education. Her
Speaker 1: brilliant work made an impact in classrooms for generations and
Speaker 1: can still be thought today. All month highlighted prodigies. For
Speaker 1: more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram at Womanica Podcasts.
Speaker 1: I Am Love Jay Jones and it has been an
Speaker 1: honor to helm this podcast this month talking about twenty
Speaker 1: two of history's troublemakers and trailblazers. Special thanks to Liz
Speaker 1: and Jenny Kaplan for inviting me to guest host. This
Speaker 1: is a topic that is near and dear to me,
Speaker 1: a lifelong professional troublemaker. My latest book, Rising Troublemaker, a
Speaker 1: fear fighter manual for teens, exists to loan courage to
Speaker 1: young people in the world, reminding them that they are
Speaker 1: never too young to make significant impact with their power,
Speaker 1: their voice, and their action. Grab a copy everywhere books
Speaker 1: are sold for a young prodigy in your life. Thank
Speaker 1: you for having me. Tomorrow begins the new theme for June.
Speaker 1: Pride quare Stars of the Stage and Screen. Tune in
Speaker 1: then