Happy Birthday, Sir Christopher Wren

English architect Sir Christopher Wren was born on October 20, 1632. After the great fire of London, Sir Christopher Wren set to work rebuilding the city. Over forty-six years, he designed fifty-one churches and many other important buildings.

Sir Christopher Wren is often called Britain's most influential architect of all time, but he was also a scientist whose research and inventions won the praise of Sir Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal.

_{Photo: Sir Christopher Wren designed the new St. Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of London. © Ulf Sjostedt/Getty Images}