George
Boole (1815-1964) invented Boolean algebra. He was born in
Lincoln, England, on November 2, 1815. He first introduced his theory
on symbolic logic in a paper on calculus that was awarded the Royal
Medal from the Royal Society of London in 1844. He was in Cambridge
while he was the editor of the Cambridge Mathematical
Journal in England. He was also elected as the yearly Fellow of
scientists to the Royal Society in 1857. His knowledge was held as a
quiet secret for many years until his theory of logical expressions
became more widely used in the field of electronics in 1938.
His concepts are well known today in the field of mathematical logic from the domain of computer science to information science. We remember him most effectively as we recall the use of "And, Or, and Not" when selecting the appropriate options for connecting search terms to find information in search engines such as Yahoo, Lycos, the Mining Company, or Alta Vista.
Boole began teaching at an elementary school as an assistant at the age of sixteen. He continued teaching at his own school while learning mathematics. His dedication to teaching evolved as did his study of mathematics at Queen's College in Ireland (University of College Cork) where he became the first Professor of Mathematics in 1849. His major book on symbolic logic identified the concept of "Boolean Logic" in "The Mathematical Analysis of Logic" in 1847. He authored "An Investigation of the Laws of Thought" in 1854. Here he described what the computer industry now calls cybernetics.
Mary Everest and George Boole married in 1855. They had five daughters. Mary was the niece of the famous explorer, Sir George Everest. She was also an advocate of early childhood development. Boole died of pneumonia in Ireland on December 8, 1864.
Designed by: Janine Stanhope
MacHale, P.D. (1985). Gorge Boole -- His Life and Work. Boole Press.
George Boole Website [Online]. Available at http://www.advbool.com/Misc/boole.html