The man who gave us the pressure cooker, Denis Papin, was born on this date in 1647. The French physicist and mathematician was best known for his work with steam power. He worked closely with Christiaan Huygens, experimenting with the air pump. Aside from the pressure cooker (which he called the "steam digester"), Papin conceived the idea for the steam engine and built the first human-powered paddle boat. In 1710, he was appointed to the Royal Society, but many of his ideas and his personality conflicted with those of other members, especially Sir Isaac Newton, the Society's president. No one seemed to know where Papin spent his final days; the last record of his whereabouts is a letter he wrote, dated January 23, 1712. It is believed that he died destitute later that year and was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave.
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