Some of my favorite quotes related: "As Wiles began his lectures, there was more and more speculation about what it was going to be," Dr. Ribet said.

Some of my favorite quotes related: "As Wiles began his lectures, there was more and more speculation about what it was going to be," Dr. Ribet said. ... Finally, at the end of his third lecture, Dr. Wiles concluded that he had proved a general case of the Taniyama conjecture. Then, seemingly as an afterthought, he noted that that meant that Fermat's last theorem was true. Q.E.D. [1] And "I had to give the next lecture," Dr. Ribet said. "It was something incredibly mundane." Since mathematicians are "a pretty well-behaved bunch," they listened politely. But, he said, it was hard to concentrate. "Most people in the room, including me, were incredibly shell-shocked," [1] Very funny, but also gives me goosebumps. That would have been some lecture! [1] http://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/24/us/at-last-shout-of-eureka-in-age-old-math-mystery.html http://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/24/us/at-last-shout-of-eureka...