Numbers was educated at Southern Missionary College, and obtained his master's degree at Florida State University. Numbers received his Ph.D. in history of science from University of California, Berkeley, in 1969. He was Hilldale and William Coleman Professor of the History of Science and Medicine at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Numbers' educational background included Southern Missionary College, Florida State University, and the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Ph.D. in history of science. He was a professor of history of science and medicine at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.