Polymath · 1048 – 1131
Omar Khayyam
Made major advances in algebra and reformed the Persian calendar with great accuracy, while composing the quatrains that, translated as the Rubaiyat, became among the most beloved poems in the English language.
Discoveries
- A geometric method for solving cubic equations.
- A calendar reform more accurate than the later Gregorian calendar.
Major Works
- The Rubaiyat
- Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra
Impact Analysis
Omar Khayyam embodied the union of science and poetry in the Islamic Golden Age, and through Edward FitzGerald's translation his Rubaiyat became one of the most quoted poems in English.
Historical influence score: 79/100