Famous scientists

A crowd barged past dioramas, glass displays, and wide-eyed security guards in the American Museum of Natural History. Screams rang out as some runners fell and were trampled. Upon arriving at a lecture hall, the mob broke down the door. The date was Jan. 8, 1930, and the New York museum was showing a film about Albert Einstein and his general theory of relativity . Einstein was not present, but 4,500 mostly ticketless people still showed up for the viewing. Museum officials told them “no ticket, no show,” setting the stage for, in the words of the Chicago Tribune , “the first science riot in history.” Such was Einstein’s popularity. As a publicist might say, he was the whole package: distinctive look (untamed hair, rumpled sweater), witty personality (his quips, such as God not playing dice, would live on) and major scientific cred (his papers upended physics). Time magazine named him Person of the Century. His prowess in physics made him one of the greatest scientists of all time. “Einstein remains the last, and perhaps only, physicist ever to become a household name,” says James Overduin, a theoretical physicist at Towson University in Maryland. Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, Einstein was a precocious child. As a teenager, he wrote a paper on magnetic fields. (Einstein never actually failed math, contrary to popular lore.) He married twice, the second time to his first cousin, Elsa Löwenthal. The marriage lasted until her death in 1936. Read more: 5 Interesting Things A...

Saturday we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and while this has been a remarkable year for recognition of women in science (hello, “ Amid a global push to get more girls interested in science, engineering, technology, and math, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate those who already are STEM superstars of the past and present. Take Action: Take a look at 17 of the best female scientists up to (and including) 2017. And let’s hope these ladies don’t remain hidden too much longer. 1. Tiera Guinn This “You have to look forward to your dream and you can’t let anybody get in the way of it,” she said. “No matter how tough it may be, no matter how many tears you might cry, you have to keep pushing. And you have to understand that nothing comes easy. Keeping your eyes on the prize, you can succeed.” 2. Marie Curie We all know the name of this physicist and chemist, but do you recall Marie Curie’s contributions to science? The Polish scientist studied at the Sorbonne, where she became the head of the physics lab there in the early 1900s — when women really did not teach science at European universities — and pioneered research in radioactivity. She and her husband jointly won the Nobel Prize in 1903. 4. Jane Goodall The most famous primate scientist in history, Jane Goodall was renowned for her work with chimpanzees and as a champion of animal rights. And Goodall wasn’t just working in a lab; she climbed trees and mimicked the behavior of chimps in Ta...

When asked about history’s most influential scientists, many people talk of Einstein, Darwin, Galileo or Newton. But few will mention how these European scientists were indebted to their predecessors: Arabic scholars (and Arabic scientists) who made advances in science and technology while Europe was in a cultural decline during the Dark Ages (5th – 15th century). The passing of the science baton is often overlooked due to the conflict of the Crusades and “it’s possible, too, that many scholars in the Renaissance later played down or even disguised their connection to the Science and Islam. 10. HASSAN IBN AL-HAITHAM, MATHEMATICIAN Basra, Iraq (965 – 1040) Al-Haitham is considered one of the founders of modern optics. Ptolemy and Aristotle theorised that light either shone from the eye to illuminate objects or that light emanated from objects themselves. But al-Haitham suggested that light travels to the eye in rays from different points on an object. However, al-Haitham’s stellar career ended abruptly after he foolishly promised the ruler of Cairo that he could stop the Nile from flooding by building a dam at Aswan. He couldn’t, feigning insanity to avoid persecution. Ironically, his plans to build a dam were carried out hundreds of years later, on the same site he initially proposed, when human engineering abilities had caught up with his vision. 9. OMAR KHAYYAAM, MATHEMATICIAN Neyshapur, Iran (1048 – 1131) Khayyam calculated the length of a solar year to 10 decimal place...

To celebrate scientists and scientific advancements, we have collected a list of the most famous modern scientists that will inspire us for the greater good. Every time we think about famous scientists who have made a mark in history, we remember Albert Einstein, Arthur Eddington, Marie Curie, or Rosalind Franklin. But what if I were to tell you that many scientists who have revolutionized science were born in the 20th century? From discovering the human immunodeficiency virus to developing the Covid-19 vaccine, modern scientists have contributed to history in their way. This article is a result of our team’s intense research. We condensed the information from the Nobel Prize publication, online libraries, videos, podcasts, and several biographies. Let’s explore the brief history of some of the most famous modern scientists! This is a ride through the 20th and 21st centuries. Put your safety belts on! Credits: King Abdullah University What makes Jean-Marie Frechet famous? Jean-Marie Frechet was born in France. He is known for his contributions to the fields of polymer chemistry and organic synthesis, as well as nanotechnology. Frechet is most famous for his work with Craig Hawker on a convergent synthetic approach for making dendrimers, which increased the manufacture of dendrimers (branched polymeric molecules). Jean M.J. Frechet is a professor emeritus at Berkeley’s College of Chemistry. [Source: Credits: Olav Stiftelsen What makes Lene Vestergaard famous? Lene Vestergaa...

There are many famous people with ADHD (aka ADD). They include athletes, actors, scientists, musicians, business leaders, authors, and artists. There are 100+ celebrities with learning disabilities, specifically ADHD, I found as part of our research on Ongig’s Disclaimers: This list includes successful people with ADHD and/or ADD who have been diagnosed and those who have been reported or rumored to have ADHD. I do my best to list resources for any questionable ones and welcome feedback, additions, and edits! I am not an expert on ADHD. Celebrities with ADHD Famous musician Justin Timberlake says he battles with both OCD and ADHD. Pop Sugar’s article says the Harry Potter star, Emma Watson, is not open about her ADHD but has been treated with medication since she was diagnosed as a child. (image source: If you had to list the very top celebrities with ADHD, you could do worse than this list of 20: • Simone Biles (diagnosed) • Terry Bradshaw (diagnosed) • Jim Carey (rumored) • James Carville (diagnosed) • Bill Gates (rumored) • Ryan Gosling (diagnosed) • Paris Hilton (diagnosed) • Michael Jordan (rumored) • Adam Levine (diagnosed) • Howie Mandel (diagnosed) • Ty Pennington (diagnosed) • Michael Phelps (diagnosed) • Will Smith (rumored) • Britney Spears (diagnosed) • Channing Tatum (diagnosed) • Justin Timberlake (diagnosed) • Liv Tyler (diagnosed) • Carrie Underwood (diagnosed) • Emma Watson (diagnosed) • Will.i.am (diagnosed) But let’s break it down in more detail. There a...