November 12 is the birthday of Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French
explorer. At age 25 he published a book on integral calculus. Sadly, he didn't pursue a math career, but instead rose to become an admiral in the French navy.
You can probably guess that the Bouganvillea plant is named after him.
And that's where it gets interesting, specially if you recollect the
tidbit about Magellan and circumnavigating the globe. So read on.
Monsieur Bougainville was an important figure in the Seven Years War
(in Canada) and in establishing a French colony in the Falkland
Islands.
In 1766, he decided to circumnavigate the globe. He was given
permission by Louis the 15th (one before the Louis who got beheaded in
the French revolution). On board was a botanist, Philibert Commerçon.
The botanist had a "valet" but it turned out the valet was a woman,
Jeanne Baré, and likely the botanists mistress.
Anyway, in South America, Commerçon named a plant he found the
Bouganvillea. The expedition ended up circumnavigating the globe.
And Jeanne Baré became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe!
Commerçon named many plants after Jeanne, but all of them except one
were previously named and so his work did not count. One does
survive, the Solanum baretiae, a member of the nightshade family.
explorer. At age 25 he published a book on integral calculus. Sadly, he didn't pursue a math career, but instead rose to become an admiral in the French navy.
You can probably guess that the Bouganvillea plant is named after him.
And that's where it gets interesting, specially if you recollect the
tidbit about Magellan and circumnavigating the globe. So read on.
Monsieur Bougainville was an important figure in the Seven Years War
(in Canada) and in establishing a French colony in the Falkland
Islands.
In 1766, he decided to circumnavigate the globe. He was given
permission by Louis the 15th (one before the Louis who got beheaded in
the French revolution). On board was a botanist, Philibert Commerçon.
The botanist had a "valet" but it turned out the valet was a woman,
Jeanne Baré, and likely the botanists mistress.
Anyway, in South America, Commerçon named a plant he found the
Bouganvillea. The expedition ended up circumnavigating the globe.
And Jeanne Baré became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe!
Commerçon named many plants after Jeanne, but all of them except one
were previously named and so his work did not count. One does
survive, the Solanum baretiae, a member of the nightshade family.
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