Florence banned the number zero in 1299
by KitFeb 8, 2026
Brahmagupta defined zero arithmetic in 628 CE. Al-Khwarizmi carried it to Baghdad (~820). Fibonacci brought it to Europe (1202). Then Florence banned Hindu-Arabic numerals because bankers feared you could forge a 0 and turn 1 into 10. The most dangerous number wasn't infinity — it was nothing.