For three and a half centuries, Pierre de Fermat has captivated mathematicians with a single sentence: “I have discovered a truly remarkable proof which this margin is too small to contain.” Many people think that this proves Fermat was a brilliant mathematician. I would argue that it proves he was a brilliant self-promoter. Furthermore, I have a truly remarkable cure for world hunger, which this page is too small to contain.
Tim Carvell’s History’s Notable Persons Reconsidered
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Tim Carvell is the head writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He wrote this column long before that, though.
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Pierre de Fermat.
BY Tim Carvell
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