Pythagoras

Pythagoras, who is frequently referred to as the first of the Greek philosophers, was born around 570 BC on the island of Samos, which is now in modern-day Turkey. According to legend, he began his education studying under some of the best astronomers and mathematicians of his day. He learned to play the lyre at this period, absorbed their hidden lessons, and was able to memorize entire Homeric epics.

He later traveled to the few historic hubs of thought and wisdom and armoured himself with knowledge from the most potent modern civilizations. His impact was so great that more than 300 others joined him on the way to Kroton and established a crazy cult, adoring him as an incarnation of the god Apollo.

He went on to develop a large number of mathematical and philosophical ideas along with his sect. They offered the idea that the earth revolved around the sun about 2,000 years before others like Galileo and Copernicus would prove it. They also proved the Pythagorean theorem for determining the area of a triangle. For obvious reasons, such actions infuriated many Greeks, and an enraged crowd murdered him by setting him on fire.