Fun Facts About Voltaire
- Voltaire made perhaps a million livres by joining a group that bought up a French government lottery, which had been organized to pay off the state's debts.[1]
- Voltaire's real name was François-Marie Arouet. "Voltaire" is an anagram of AROVET LI, and he used at least 178 separate pen names in his lifetime.[1]
- Voltaire helped spread the famous story of Newton's falling apple, which he had heard from Newton's niece in London.[1][3][4]
- After a nobleman had his servants beat Voltaire, Voltaire challenged him to a duel and was jailed in the Bastille instead. He asked to be exiled to England to get out.[1]
- After leaving the court of Frederick the Great, Voltaire was held at an inn in Frankfurt by the king's agents for over three weeks in a dispute over a borrowed book of poetry.[1]
- The town of Ferney, where Voltaire lived for his last 20 years, adopted his name and has officially been Ferney-Voltaire since 1878.[1]
- Voltaire was alive at the same time as Carl Friedrich Gauss — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1777–1778).[1][2][5][6]
- Voltaire and Joan of Arc died on the same day of the year, May 30.[1][2][7][8]
François-Marie Arouet, known by his pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity and of slavery, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state.[1]
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Questions About Voltaire
When was Voltaire born?
Voltaire was born on November 21, 1694, and died on May 30, 1778.
How old was Voltaire at death?
Voltaire was born on November 21, 1694, and died on May 30, 1778, at age 83.
What was Voltaire known for?
Voltaire was known for: Enlightenment writer and philosopher. François-Marie Arouet, known by his pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity and of slavery, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state.
Who was alive at the same time as Voltaire?
Voltaire's closest contemporary was Benjamin Franklin. Their lives overlapped for 72 years.
Sources
- Voltaire — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Voltaire (Q9068) — Wikidata
- Isaac Newton — Wikipedia
- Isaac Newton (Q935) — Wikidata
- Carl Friedrich Gauss — Wikipedia
- Carl Friedrich Gauss (Q6722) — Wikidata
- Joan of Arc — Wikipedia
- Joan of Arc (Q7226) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Nicolas de Largillière - Portrait de Voltaire (1694-1778) en 1718 - P208 - Musée Carnavalet - 2.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Nicolas de Largillière, CC0