<a href "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_ellipsoid">John's Theorem</a> can be stated as "To every compact, convex body, there is a unique inscribed ellipsoid, whose volume is maximal among all inscribed ellipsoids." It goes on to classify this maximal ellipsoid. By using this theorem, one can prove that the ellipsoid of maximal volume which is contained in a square is a circle. 

This strikes me as a problem which was probably studied well before Fritz John, and yet I have been unable to prove the statement about squares and circles in an elegant, but low-brow manner. Any thoughts?