Charles Augustin de Coulomb was born at Angoulême, June 14th, 1736. His ancestors for several generations had been magistrates, and were looked upon as representatives of the country nobility. He made his university studies in Paris, and while still young, entered the army. From the very beginning, however, his genius for mathematics was recognized, and he was employed in the capacity of military engineer. To Americans, it will be interesting to know that his first engineering project was undertaken at Martinique, where he constructed Fort Bourbon. His sterling character and remarkable ability secured him rapid advancement in the service. In spite of the fact that the climate did not agree with him, he remained for three years on the island, because he would not employ the political influence that might have secured his recall, since he thought it his duty to serve his country in an important colonial post. Nearly all his comrades perished by fever. It is the irony of fate that after his return to France a change in the ministry deprived him of the just recompense of his devotion to country, and he did not receive the special extraordinary promotion which he had earned in this special detail. During a short stay that he made at Paris after his return, he sought the society of men of science as far as possible, and succeeded in getting in touch with all that was most promising in scientific progress at the time. He was already known rather favorably by many of the scientific men of the capital because of the paper on The Statics of Vaults, a monograph on static problems in architecture, which he presented to the Academy of Sciences in 1779. His next military assignment was to Rochefort. Here he composed his monograph on "The Theory of Simple Machines," which carried off the double prize that had been offered by the Academy of Sciences for the solution of problems connected with this important question. This attracted the attention not only of the scientific world, but also of his military superiors. As a result, he was sent successively to Cherburg and to the Isle of Aix, to direct engineering works, and accomplished the tasks involved with success.