Sir Andrew Wiles solved Pierre de Fermat’s theorem that had previously stumped mathematicians for 300 years.
In the 1990s, Oxford professor Andrew Wiles finally solved the problem, and this week was awarded the hugely prestigious 2016 Abel Prize — including a $700,000 windfall.
Learning of the award, Wiles told the University of Oxford: “It is a tremendous honor … Fermat’s equation was my passion from an early age, and solving it gave me an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.