Definition:Number Theory/Historical Note

Historical Note on Number Theory
The field of number theory was founded in its modern form by in his pioneering work in the $17$th century.

However, most of his discoveries are known about only because he wrote about them to his friends, or (famously) jotted them down in the margins of his copy of 's.

For many of these, his proofs were never recorded, and when he died they were lost forever.

Nobody else was able to follow him until and  in the following century.

The field was properly placed on a firm footing by the work of in his.

The field was advanced significantly by.