Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman, who lived from 1918 to 1988, was an American theoretical physicist known for his work in quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and particle physics, among other areas. He was renowned for his clear and accessible lectures, published in books such as The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Feynman later went on to share the Nobel Prize in Physics with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga for their work in quantum electrodynamics. Feynman also played a significant role in investigating the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
Marie Curie
Born Maria Skłodowska in Poland, Marie Curie (1867-1934) was a physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity, a term she coined. She and her husband, Pierre Curie, discovered polonium and radium. Despite facing many obstacles as a woman in science, she became the first to win a Nobel Prize, receiving the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics (which she shared with Pierre and Henri Becquerel). She also won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, making her the only person to win a Nobel prize in two different sciences.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin, who lived from 1809 to 1882, was an English naturalist and biologist known for his contributions to evolutionary theory. His landmark 1859 book On the Origin of Species established the now widely accepted fact that all species have descended over time from common ancestors and introduced the concept of natural selection as the mechanism for this process. This marked a critical turning point in biology, significantly influencing our understanding of life on Earth.
Albert Einstein
Born in 1879, Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity, which in part formed the basis for modern physics (the other being quantum mechanics). His most famous equation, E=mc^2, expresses the equivalence of energy (E) and mass (m), showing that the two can be converted into each other. Einstein was also awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the law of the photoelectric effect (which concerns electromagnetic radiation), which Bryson discusses extensively in the book.
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton, who lived from 1643 to 1727, was an English physicist and mathematician widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists ever. He formulated laws concerning motion and gravity, each of which shaped scientists' view of the physical universe for the next three hundred years. Newton also contributed significantly to optics and shares credit with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing the infinitesimal calculus.
