Pythagorean theorem: the biggest science-fiction of our time

What is the biggest science fiction of our time? The Pythagorean theorem, if you ask me.

That Pythagoras gave us the triangle rule is as much a fiction as Columbus discovering the Americas. The fact is, right-angled triangle triplets have been found in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley more than 1,000 years before Pythagoras was born. The earliest mention of the triangle rule is in the Shluba Sutras (rules of cords), written in 800 BC.

Pythagoras (600 BC) traveled extensively in the East, including Egypt and India, to get lessons on geometry and vegetarianism. Yes, vegetarianism. Pythagoras started a cult in Greece that promoted vegetarianism.

A 2014 paper titled "Vegetarian Nutrition: Past, Present, Future" by Claus Leitzmann in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition calls Pythagoras the father of ethical vegetarianism. The fun fact: you won’t find a single sect in Europe practicing vegetarianism, whereas in India, you can find dozens.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Indian historians, still carrying the burden of colonialism, start claiming that Indians learned vegetarianism from Pythagoras. This is how colonialism works.