Alright so I started reading Voltaire in Love because a light nonfiction book about a certain 18th century attention whore of epic proportions seemed like nothing but fun and so it is (the endless cycle of “is a dick -> exile or prison -> release -> repeat” is giving me life), but then I looked up Émilie du Châtelet and...she’s genuinely incredibly awesome all on her own and deserves to be talked about more?
Like, just from wikipedia:
natural philosopher and mathematician
first woman to have a paper published by the Paris Academy
second woman member of the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna
predicted infrared radiation
made a contribution to the study of kinetic energy
translated Newton's Principia into French, a translation still used today
wrote a critical analysis of the Bible
advocated for women’s education (duh)
etc etc
...and according to the book, she also had a pretty interesting personal life with multiple lovers. Which, to me, just adds to the interest. Either way I need to read more about her.
