Differential forms : Cartan to DeRham / Victor J. Katz.
Abstract:
Though they had been used for over a century, differential forms ("things which occur under integral signs") were first defined by Elie Cartan in 1899. This paper concentrates on the influences which led Cartan to his definition and its influence on the work of G. DeRham and others
Archive for history of exact sciences Vol. 33 (1985), p. 321-336