Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier was a French mathematician and physicist born in the middle of eighteenth century in Auxerre, France. Coming from a humble background, he became an orphan by the time he was ten. At the age of twelve, he entered military school run by Benediction monks and became engrossed in mathematics. Later he became a teacher at the same institution and joined the local revolutionary committee, a decision that almost cost him his head under the guillotine. Saved from eminent death, he went back to teaching, but was soon picked by Napoleon to accompany him on his Egyptian expedition. On his return, he was made prefect of the Isère, a job he did exceedingly well. At the same time, he was given the charge of collating all the scientific and literary discoveries in Egypt, which was later published in a book form. However, he is best remembered for his work on flow of heat, which later became the basis of what we now call ‘Fourier series’. However, he was more interested in academics and after Napoleon’s fall, he went back to Paris and immersed himself into mathematics.