The Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem, solved by Leonhard Euler, is considered the origin of graph theory.
Notes on verification
Well-documented historical fact corroborated by multiple independent academic and encyclopedic sources including Wikipedia, MAA, and encyclopedia references, with consensus among mathematicians and historians of science.
Sources
- List of mathematics history topics (en.wikipedia.org)
- https://old.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/leonard-eulers-solution-to-the-konigsberg-bridge-problem (old.maa.org)
- https://mathworld.wolfram.com/KoenigsbergBridgeProblem.html (mathworld.wolfram.com)
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/mathematics/konigsberg (sciencedirect.com)
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/birth-graph-theory-leonhard-euler-and-konigsberg-bridge-problem (encyclopedia.com)
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-seven-bridges-of-koenigsberg-spawned-new-math/ (scientificamerican.com)