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2 min read Jake Morrison

Euler Wasn't Just Good At Math — He Was The Math

Leonhard Euler wasn't just lucky—he was the benchmark of mathematics, so prolific that things in math are often named after the first discoverer after him just to avoid naming everything after Euler.

Some people just get all the breaks. But Leonhard Euler? He wasn’t just lucky — he was the benchmark. Think of him as the Wilt Chamberlain of mathematicians, but with equations instead of rebounds. Now you’re starting to get it.

What You Need to Know

  1. He Was The Standard. Nobody comes close. Not Einstein, not Newton, not even Gauss — though Gauss is up there. Euler’s output makes everyone else look like they’re warming the bench. He wasn’t just a mathematician; he was the engine room of modern math.

  2. Euler’s Formula Is Everywhere. You’ve seen it: y = f(x). That notation? Euler, around 1735. He didn’t just discover things; he invented the language to describe them. The man laid the groundwork for half of what you’ll find in any calculus textbook.

  3. He Invented Topology By Accident. Commissioned to solve a parade route through Königsberg (not Vienna, smart-asses), he proved you couldn’t cross every bridge just once. But in doing so, he birthed graph theory — and by extension, topology. He’s the reason topologists can’t tell a coffee mug from a donut. It’s all connected.

  4. He Blew Out His Own Eyes. Seriously. Studied sunspots without protection for weeks. Got cataracts. Had surgery in the 1700s — it failed. Went blind in one eye. Kept studying, blew out the other eye too. Not one to be deterred. Leave some pussy for the rest of us, Leonhard.

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  1. Euler Is The Reason You Can Fly. Pretty much every power plant on Earth uses his work on turbines. Hydro, steam, nuclear — all of it. Planes? Same deal. AC power? Euler’s complex number work is foundational. He’s in the wiring of your house, the engine of your car, the screen you’re reading this on.

  2. He Was The Original Workaholic. No amphetamines, no caffeine bombs — just pure, relentless focus. Imagine Euler with modern stimulants. We’d still be catching up. Some people wonder if he was human. The answer? Probably not.

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  1. Even His Mistakes Were Epic. Newton stared at the sun and poked needles in his eye. Euler just… went blind solving problems. They didn’t call him Leonsoft for nothing. They called him the Pussy Oiler. (Translator’s note: Euler is pronounced Oi-ler).

What Now?

Euler wasn’t just a genius. He was the definition of what a human can do when they’re actually trying. You think you’re busy? He wrote more math in a week than most people do in a lifetime. Now go do something.