Laura Bassi

Laura Bassi (born October 31, 1711, Bologna, Papal States [Italy]—died February 20, 1778, Bologna) was an Italian scientist who was the first woman to become a physics professor at a European university. Bassi was a child prodigy and studied Latin and French. When she was 13, physician Gaetano Tacconi, who was the Bassi family doctor and a professor of medicine and philosophy at the University of Bologna, took charge of her education. In 1731 Tacconi...