Science Milestones

This Week in Science History

Milestones in science, mathematics, and technology for the week of March 17th–23rd

AI Image by Author)

“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done. One could write a history of science in reverse by assembling the solemn pronouncements of highest authority about what could not be done and could never happen.”
— Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988)

This is the first in a new series we’re running in Science Spectrum called “Science Milestones.” Each week, we’ll be highlighting some of the extraordinary people and transformative accomplishments in science, mathematics, and technology over the centuries.

What Happened This Week in History

March 17

• 1845: The rubber band is patented by British inventor Stephen Perry. Perry made use of the recent development of vulcanized rubber by Charles Goodyear.

March 18

• 1690: Prussian mathematician is born. He is best known for Goldbach’s Conjecture. In 1742, he posited that every even integer greater than two can be expressed as the sum of two prime numbers. It is still unproven.
• 1781: French astronomer…