Thales of Miletus, First of The Seven Sages
摘要
The history of human civilization is rife with coincidences one after another. For one example, on April 23, 1616, William Shakespeare, the greatest writer of the English-speaking world, and Miguel de Cervantes, the greatest writer of the Spanish-speaking world, both died on the same day (this day later became World Book Day). Moreover, the Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci, regarded as the most perfect representative of the Renaissance, was born on April 15, 1452, according to the Julian calendar, which is also April 23 according to the Gregorian calendar. Another concurrence: the greatest Italian scientist Galileo Galilei died on January 8, 1642, and within a year the greatest British scientist Isaac Newton was born. In earlier times, a string of mathematicians and philosophers emerged in ancient Greece in great numbers, just like the writers and artists in Italy during the Renaissance.