Ernest Lebon

Born in Audigny on August 25, 1846, and died in Paris on February 12, 1922, Ernest Lebon was a French mathematician, teacher, translator, and author. Library and publisher records identify him as a mathematics professor who taught in several lycées before being appointed professor of descriptive geometry at the Lycée Charlemagne.

Alongside his teaching, he wrote and translated mathematical works and became especially known for biographical and bibliographical studies of scientists. His books include Histoire abrégée de l’astronomie and studies devoted to figures such as Gaston Darboux and Paul Appell, showing a talent for combining technical learning with clear historical storytelling.

Lebon’s work has lasted because it speaks to two kinds of readers at once: those interested in mathematics itself and those curious about the people behind scientific discovery. Even today, catalog and digitized-library records show a body of writing that helped make French scientific culture more accessible to a wider audience.