Joseph-Louis Lagrange

About Joseph-Louis Lagrange

Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736–1813) was a towering figure in 18th-century mathematics and astronomy, whose influence is reflected in his #510 rank on the Historical Popularity Index. A true polymath, his work was pivotal in the development of the calculus of variations, and he made significant contributions to number theory, algebra, and celestial mechanics. Lagrange was instrumental in establishing a rigorous foundation for much of the analytical mechanics used today, a field that builds upon foundational concepts like [Newton's laws](/history/learn/isaac-newtons-laws-of-motion-for-kids).

Despite this historical weight, Lagrange’s contemporary internet visibility is modest. In 2025, his annualized Wikipedia pageviews totaled only 160K. This suggests an attention gap, as he receives significantly less online attention than many less historically important contemporaries. For contrast, Bertrand Russell, another mathematician ranked lower at #741 importance, garnered 962K views in the same year-nearly six times the traffic.

Year-over-year data shows his interest is slightly declining, with a -12.1% drop in attention across 2025. However, his short-term momentum remained positive between Q1 and Q3 at +5%, indicating some minor recent resurfacing of interest.