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The Louvre. A statue of Cassini. Jacques Cassini (Cassini II) was born on the 18th February 1677. He was the son of Giovanni-Domenico Cassini and of Genevève de Laistre. He died on the 16th April 1756 following a vehicular accident. Raised by his father, he studied at the Observatory of Paris, where he was said to have been born, before enrolling into the Collège Mazarin. He was accepted into the French Academy of Sciences in 1694, and he succeeded his father at the Academy in 1712. He would go on to travel a lot with his father, and undergo numerous geodesic and astronomical studies. Admitted in to the Royal Society in 1696 and the Berlin Academy, he became friendly with Newton and Halley. As a follower of Cartesian thought, he took a stance against the theory of the Flat Earth model. In 1740, he progressively abandoned his scientific endeavours and eased his son César-François into upholding the familial traditions. He was tasked with remaining in charge of the Observatory and the drawing up of a map of France. Besides this, Jacques Cassini was given important administrative roles, such as the "master of the room of accounts", then took on the roles as magistrate in the Chamber of Justice and State advisor. (Photo by: Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)