Although Leibniz found his calculus a decade after Newton did, he is generally considered its co-inventor for several reasons. He published it first, in a graceful and digestible form, and he couched it in a carefully designed, elegant notation that’s still used today. Moreover, he attracted disciples who spread the word with evangelical zeal. They wrote influential textbooks and developed the subject in luxuriant detail. Much later, when Leibniz was accused of stealing calculus from Newton, his disciples defended him vigorously and counterattacked Newton with equal fervor.
