Philippa Fawcett 1890 Mathematical Tripos Senior Wrangler

A woman earned Cambridge’s highest math score

In 1890, Philippa Fawcett earned the highest score in Cambridge’s Mathematical Tripos exams. Because she was a woman, she was not eligible to claim the title of Senior Wrangler.

Caesar’s death did not restore Rome’s republic

Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, but rival factions soon raised armies and civil wars followed. Caesar’s heir, Octavian, eventually took sole control and established a new Roman monarchy.

An ancient sailing story contained evidence its author did not understand

Herodotus wrote that Phoenician sailors saw the Sun to their north while sailing around Africa. He found the claim strange, but it is exactly what sailors could see after traveling south of the equator. A detail he doubted became evidence that the voyage may really have happened.

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Philippa Fawcett 1890 Mathematical Tripos Senior Wrangler

A woman earned Cambridge’s highest math score

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