this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2025
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Shakuntala Devi "The Human Computer"
She could compute large roots and factorials mentally.
On 18 June 1980 she multiplied two randomly chosen 13‑digit numbers in 28 seconds at Imperial College, London. That performance was listed in the 1982 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.
She also authored The World of Numbers and The World of Homosexuals in 1977.
The former was used as a teaching tool with her hope of making math easier for everyone, especially to make it more accessible to girls (while it is often seen as a elite male dominated field).
The latter is about her experience being married to a homosexual man. She saw same‑sex attraction as a natural variation of human sexuality and advocated for tolerance, which was well ahead of the times in the 70s.
Just an all around good person.
Didn't know about her! Wicked smart , inclusive... Icon.