Gottlob Frege was a German philosopher, logician, and mathematician, born in 1848. He is best known for his work in formal logic and the philosophy of language. Frege introduced concepts such as the distinction between sense and reference, which helped clarify how language relates to meaning and truth. Frege's ideas laid the groundwork for modern logic and influenced many later thinkers, including Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein. His seminal work, "Begriffsschrift," presented a formal system that advanced the study of logic and mathematics, making him a key figure in the development of analytic philosophy.