In January 2011 fifteen Whitworth University mathematics students and I, their professor, traveled through Europe to study the history of mathematics. The goal was to gain an understanding of how mathematical ideas have developed over time; how social, cultural and historical factors have influenced the development of mathematics and conversely, how mathematics contributed to society and human culture. Over a course of three weeks we traveled to three countries and over a half dozen cities, viewing the tools, papers and workbooks or these mathematicians, seeing their engineering and artistic creations, and learning from local experts as they guided us through science museums and archives. The experience helped us to understand the broad roles of mathematics and mathematicians played in the world around them
