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George Boole, inventor of Boolean algebra, was born on November 2, 1815. He was an English mathematician, logician and philosopher. The Boole Crater on the moon has been named in his honor.

Boolean algebra is the basis of all modern computer arithmetic. In this respect, Boole can be regarded as a pioneer, a founding father of computer science, although at that time computers was not in existence like we know it now. What a brilliant shaper of   technology considering the significance of what it is today. 

Boole was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. He was largely self-taught, and although he did not receive a degree, he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at Cork University in 1849. He was one of the first to direct attention to the theory of invariants, expressions in several variables that don’t change when the coordinates change. 

His algebraic treatment of differential operators gradually led him to consider also the operations of logic algebraically. This resulted in the work for which he is best remembered, his Mathematical Analysis of Logic (1847) and Laws of Thought (1854).

Boolean algebra is a generalization of the familiar operations of arithmetic, and it is most useful in the design of circuits and computers.

Boole’s character was such that his friends respected and held him in high esteem. He was a modest man who did not seek nor get the ordinary rewards he deserved for his discoveries. He did receive a medal from the Royal Society for his memoir of 1844 and from the University of Dublin, the honorary degree of LL.D. He died on December 8, 1864, at the age of 49.