Too often, in the name of rigor or simply due to lack of time, we choose not to talk about the human beings behind important developments in mathematical theory or to explain what led them to the theorems they worked out. In doing so, we fail to capture the excitement involved in discovering new mathematical concepts. We also miss an opportunity to reach out to children who might otherwise have been attracted to math and found pleasure in exploring the fascinating world of mathematical sciences. Investigating the life of mathematicians will often help us understand why they succeeded where others failed.

In this presentation, we will examine how math education and math outreach could benefit from a more people-oriented approach.