-Blaise Pascal was born near the Cathedral, in a house which no longer exists today. It was located in the former Passage Vernines, at the top of the Rue des Chaussetiers. There is a mark on the ground to indicate the site of his house.

-His father, Etienne Pascal, was the President of the Cour des Aides (Court of Assistance). In 1631, he settled in Paris, accompanied by his son and daughter Jacqueline.

-Pascal was very young when he invented an arithmetical machine. Out of nine machines known in the world, two can be found at the Henri-Lecoq Museum - Natural History Museum.

- As of 1646, Pascal stands up for the existence of void and in order to confirm his hypotheses, he launched an experiment which is now famous. On 19th September 1648, he sent his brother-in-law, Florin Perier who was living in Clermont-Ferrand, to the top of the Puy de Dôme with a tube filled with mercury in his hand. The level of the mercury decreased when he was at the top and increased back to its original level when he came back to the Couvent des Minimes, thus proving the existence of void and gravity. Pascal then wrote two important treatises following this experiment. We know that Pascal stayed several times in his home town, in particular in 1652 and 1660, at the Château du Bien-Assis acquired by Florin Périer. This castle does not exist any longer, however its monumental gate can be seen in the Lecoq Garden.

-His extraordinary brain allowed him to write the "Provinciales" and the "Pensées" and to imagine inventions with visionary practical consequences. With his "carrosses à cinq sous" ("2-penny coaches") , which had regular departures and fixed routes, this was the forerunner of public transport. Not forgetting his home town, he donated part of the profits which he made out of his invention –the 2-penny coaches- to the hospital of Clermont-Ferrand.

Blaise Pascal is celebrated throughout the town. There are medals incrusted in the pavement with his portrait and a street, school and park are named after him.

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