Snapshots from Physics History Born on March 21, 1768, Fourier
was the son of a tailor in the village of Auxerre, France.
Orphaned by age 10, the young Joseph received an early
rudimentary education at a local convent, thanks to a
recommendation by the local bishop. He proved such an apt pupil
and went on to study at the École Royale Militaire of Auxerre.
There he fell in love with mathematics. By 1790, Fourier was
teaching at his alma mater. Revolution was brewing in France.
Fourier was sympathetic at first to the cause, drawn by “the
natural ideas of equality,” and a hope “of establishing among us
a free government exempt from kings and priests.” He joined his
local Revolutionary Committee, but soon regretted it, as the
ultra-violent Reign of Terror gripped France and thousands of
nobles and intellectuals fell victim to the guillotine. Fourier
made the mistake of defending the stance of his own Auxerre
faction before a rival sect while on a trip to Orléans. In July
1794, he was arrested and imprisoned for t