Bolyai János

Much of the geometric knowledge imparted in our school days was grounded in the realm of Euclidean axioms. Yet, such knowledge proves inadequate for comprehending the full spectrum of laws and structures governing nature. Non-Euclidean geometry emerges as an indispensable tool when grappling with the intricacies of unique curved surfaces. In 1823, János Bolyai, an outstanding student at the Reformed College of Marosvásárhely (Târgu Mureș) in Transylvania, unveiled this innovative form of geometry.

The father, Farkas Bolyai (1775–1856) descends from a very old but impoverished noble family. He studied at the Calvinist colleges of Nagyenyed/Aiud and Kolozsvár. Afterwards, as the mentor of Simon Kemény, he continued his studies at the Göttingen University. There he became a friend of C. F. Gauss. In 1804 F. Bolyai was invited to become a professor of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at the Calvinist College of Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureş, where he taught until his retirement in 1851.