Évariste Galois (1811–1832) was a fierce political and mathematical genius who lived a short, tempestuous, but fruitful life. He was born in the village Bourg-la-Reine, outside of Paris. His father Nicolas-Gabriel Galois (1775–1829) was a mayor of the community and his mother used to teach him classics and religion until he was twelve. She also taught him Greek and Latin, moreover transferred her skepticism to him. This shows his passion for mathematics was congenital and not inherited.

As a teenager, he had a miraculous ability to solve complicated problems in his head and writing the results without dwelling upon the intermediate steps or details. At the age of 14, he began to take a serious interest in mathematics.