ABSTRACT
Although wavelets represent a departure from Fourier analysis, they are also a natural extension of it: the two languages clearly belong to the same family. The history of wavelets thus begins with the history of Fourier analysis. In turn, the roots of Fourier analysis predate Fourier himself (and much of what is now called Fourier analysis is due to his successors). But Fourier is a logical starting point; his influence on mathematics, science, and our daily lives has been incalculable, if to many people invisible. Yet he was not a professional mathematician or scientist; he fit these contributions into an otherwise very busy life.
