Galois was desperate to attend the Polytechnique, not just because of its academic excellence but also because of its reputation for being a center for republican activism. One year later he reapplied and once again his logical leaps in the oral examination only served to confuse his examiner, Monsieur Dinet. Sensing that he was about to be failed for a second time and frustrated that his brilliance was not being recognized, Galois lost his temper and threw a blackboard eraser at Dinet, scoring a direct hit. Galois was never to return to the hallowed halls of the Polytechnique.
