At Harvard (class of '72) he studied mathematics and he maintains his interest in the world of figures, socializing with math professors and even moderating a discussion about the solution of Fermat's Last Theorem.

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"The kinds of majors where you learn to integrate mathematics and science with the everyday world have a tremendous benefit in terms of earnings potential, " says PayScale.com's Lee.

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Many of the ancient hierarchical world empires (Egypt, Babylon, etc.) have fat chapters in history of mathematics texts.

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The iconic Jaguar E-Type of 1963 was largely the result of a designer who applied mathematics he'd learned while creating aerodynamic World War II fighter planes, which themselves came from many different sources.

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In terms of mathematics and science scores for school-leavers, these countries rank among the highest in the world.

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