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After several months of refinements and collaboration with Richard Taylor, a former student, Wiles finally had his breakthrough during a moment of intense focus on September 19, 1994, when he integrated various mathematical strategies to solidify his proof.
Legacy of a Mathematical Masterpiece
After nearly a decade of work and countless hours of labor, Wiles’s proof was published in May 1995 in the Annals of Mathematics, putting to rest the centuries-old mystery of Fermat's Last Theorem. Reflecting on his achievement, Wiles expressed a mixture of triumph and melancholy, stating, “Having solved this problem, there’s certainly a sense of loss, but at the same time there is this tremendous sense of freedom.”