Nothing Really Important

Great events in world history are not always acknowledged as such nor appreciated at the time of occurrence. It is often the case that assessments of momentous happenings, even as the events unfold, give evidence of negativity or negligible impact. Witness, for example, Lincoln's now famous words that "the world will little note nor long remember what we say here." Yet virtually every school boy or girl recognizes the immortal lines of the Gettysburg Address.

Still other great events fell at one time under the general heading of nothing really important or memorable. Perhaps it was Queen Victoria's description of the newly invented telephone as toy-like; or a negative evaluation of the just-completed novel Gone With The Wind; or even the Seward's Icebox description of the Alaskan Purchase. History abounds in such negative evaluations which range over the diverse areas of invention (Fulton's Folly), music (the initially unappreciated works of Mozart), entertainment (the novelty called radio), weaponry (the militarily questionable airplane), and more. Mathematics likewise shares in this phenomenon.

Table of Contents:

THE UNIMPORTANT IN MATHEMATICS

THAT'S NICE BUT...

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES