202 Scientists Who shaped World History

The development of the microscope closely paralleled the growth of the telescope, for a microscope is actually a telescope designed to work at very short distances. The principles of both instruments are the same. Galileo made the first microscope, an adaptation of one of his telescopes. At the beginning, this use of lenses to look […]

William Thomson was born in Belfast, Ireland June 26, 1824 at Baron Kelvin of Largs. William attended Glasgow University at the age of 10. This early age is not quite so unusual as one would think, for at that time the universities in Scotland to some extent competed with the schools for the most able

Sir William Ramsay was an eminent British physical chemist who is credited with the discovery of argon, krypton, neon and xenon. He also demonstrated that these gases, along with helium and radon, make the noble gases, a family of new elements. Ramsay won the 1904 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his extraordinary efforts. Born in

Sir William Herschel was a German-born British astronomer and composer, who is widely credited as the founder of sidereal astronomy for observing the heavenly bodies. He found planet Uranus and its two moons, and formulated a theory of stellar evolution. Knighted in 1816, Herschel was also the first astronomer to suggest that nebulae are composed

The man who first correctly explained the process of blood circulation in our bodies and the role of heart in the process is none other than William Harvey, an English physician. He is also known as the father of modern physiology. William Harvey was born on 1 April 1578 in Folkestone, Kent, England, the eldest

Willard Frank Libby (1908-1980), a Nobel Prize laureate and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, was a pioneer in the use of differential decay of the Carbon 14 Isotope for dating organic materials; what we now call radiocarbon dating. He addressed this scientific puzzle after developing a gaseous diffusion enrichment process for uranium-235. His work also involved the

Wilhelm Wundt was a German physiologist and psychologist, who is widely credited as the founder of experimental psychology. Wundt is also acknowledged as one of the greatest and most influential psychologists of all times. Born at Neckarau, Baden in 1832, Wilhelm Wundt was the son of a Lutheran minister. Wundt received a medical degree at

Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald, more commonly known as Wilhelm Ostwald, was an eminent Russian-German chemist and philosopher who was a key figure in the development of physical chemistry as a recognized branch of chemistry. He won the 1909 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his groundbreaking research on chemical equilibria, chemical reaction velocities and catalysis. Born of

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (alias Roentgen) (1845-1923), the first Nobel winner in Physics, was the first to produce X-rays, known originally as Röntgen rays. The facts of his early biography offer hope for those who fail in their initial educational efforts. A childhood act of solidarity excluded him from many subsequent schools. However, he went on

Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright established a marvellous legacy in the history of world, alongside the greatest American inventors, with the invention of the first successful, fully powered and heavier-than-air flying machine. The aeroplane, which was created in Dayton, Ohio and made operational at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, virtually kicked off

Werner Heisenberg was a German physicist and philosopher who is noted for his crucial contributions to quantum mechanics. He devised a method to formulate quantum mechanics in terms of matrices, for which he was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize for Physics. Heisenberg is widely considered as one of the most influential figures in nuclear physics,

The American physician, Virginia Apgar is best known for developing the Apgar Newborn Scoring System (better known as the “Apgar Score”), a simple, quick method for judging newborn viability. The newborn’s appearance colour, reflex irritability, muscle tone and respiration are assessed one minute and five minutes after birth; low scores indicate possible health issues. The

Tyge Ottesen Brahe, more commonly known as Tycho Brahe (latinized form), was an eminent Danish astronomer and alchemist. He played a vital role in the development of various astronomical instruments. Brahe is also known for his precise and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations, which heavily influenced future discoveries. Born at Knutstorp Castle, Scania in 1546,

Thomas Newcomen was a prominent British engineer, best known for inventing the atmospheric steam engine, which was the world’s oldest known steam engine for pumping water. The Newcomen engine largely influenced later designs such as James Watt’s engine. Born in Dartmouth, Devon, England, Thomas Newcomen initially worked as an ironmonger at Dartmouth. Since flooding was

Thomas Hunt Morgan was an eminent American zoologist and geneticist. He is known for his legendary experimental analysis of the fruit fly, after which he formulated the chromosome theory of heredity. Morgan also demonstrated that genes are connected in a series on chromosomes, which carry hereditary traits, therefore kick starting the modern field of genetics.