Blaise Pascal was born in Clermon Ferrond, France in 1623. Because of his contributions in science, mathematics, religion, and philosophy, he is considered one of the most important figures in Western thought.
Pascal made important contributions to the understanding of atmospheric pressure and the properties of fluids, and was an early proponent of a rigorous, experimental method.
In mathematics, Pascal was a prodigy, proving a basic theorem in projective geometry at the age of 16. Pascal invented the first mechanical adding machine in 1642, and contributed to the geometry of infinitesimals (the precursor of calculus). Pascal is considered one of the fathers of the mathematical theory of probability, and studied the triangular array of binomial coefficients that now bears his name.
Pascal devoted his later life to religion. His famous wager concerning the existence of god, is phrased essentially in terms of expected value: the infinite benefits of believing in god lead to an infinite expected value, regardless of how small the probability of existence.