Famous Scientist Facts

Famous Scientist Facts

The world we live in today would no doubt be a different place if it weren't for the amazing discoveries produced by this list of famous scientists. Their ideas, research, experiments, publications and determination are an inspiration to those that follow in their footsteps. Covering a broad range of scientific fields such as biology, physics, astronomy and chemistry, these men and women have pushed the world of science forward, allowing the human race to answer seemingly impossible questions while at the same time opening the door to new fields of research and discovery. Follow the links and read more about your favorite inventors, chemists, biologists and physicists.

1.Albert Einstein Facts

Albert Einstein is perhaps the most famous scientist of all time. Both his image and brilliant work on theoretical physics live on today and he serves as an inspiration to young scientists around the world.

Read on for interesting facts, quotes and information about Albert Einstein.

• Albert Einstein was born on the 14th of March 1879 and died on the 18th of April 1955.
• Born in Germany to a Jewish family, Einstein made many contributions to the field of theoretical physics.
• Even when very young, Einstein showed great ability in both math’s and science. He was naturally curious and had a brilliant analytical mind.
• Einstein worked in a patent office evaluating patents for electromagnetic devices not long after he graduated.
• He produced perhaps one of the most famous equations ever: E = mc² (energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared).
• He is also well known for his theory of relativity. Special relativity being introduced in his 1905 paper “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” before Einstein developed the theory of general relativity between the years of 1907 and 1915.
• Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on theoretical physics.
• He worked on many other influential theories and projects including: the deflection of light by gravity, the quantum theory of atomic motion in solids, Brownian motion, an explanation for capillary action and much more.
• Famous Albert Einstein quotes include: "Whether you can observe a thing or not depends on the theory which you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed."
• "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.... I do know that I get most joy in life out of my violin."
• "Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world."
• "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

2.Galileo Facts

Galileo Galilei was an Italian scientist who helped open the eyes of the world to a new way of thinking about the workings of our solar system and astronomy in general.

Read on for interesting facts, quotes and information about Galileo.

• Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy, on the 15th of February 1564, he died on the 8th of January 1642.
• Galileo was a ground breaking astronomer, physicist, mathematician, philosopher and inventor. Among his inventions were telescopes, a compass and a thermometer.
• Galileo enrolled to do a medical degree at the University of Pisa but never finished, instead choosing to study mathematics.
• Galileo built on the work of others to create a telescope with around 3x magnification, he later improved on this to make telescopes with around 30x magnification.
• With these telescopes, Galileo was able to observe the skies in ways previously not achieved. In 1610 he made observations of 4 objects surrounding Jupiter that behaved unlike stars, these turned out to be Jupiter’s four largest satellite moons: Io, Callisto, Europa and Ganymede. They were later renamed the Galilean satellites in honor of Galileo himself.
• The discovery of these moons was not supported by the scientific principles of the time and Galileo had trouble convincing some people that he had indeed discovered such objects. This was similar to other ideas put forward by Galileo that were very controversial at the time.
• The Geocentric model of the universe which was embraced by earlier astronomers had the Earth at the center of the universe with other objects moving around it. Work by Galileo, Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler helped to supercede this theory with the more accurate heliocentric model. Such a view of the universe differed strongly with the beliefs of the Catholic Church at the time and Galileo was forced to withdraw many of his ideas and even spent the final years of his life under house arrest.
• Galileo refused to believe Kepler’s theory that the moon caused the tides, instead believing it was due to the nature of the Earth’s rotation (helping prove that even the smartest people can make mistakes).
• Famous Galileo quotes include: “In questions of science the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.”
• “See now the power of truth; the same experiment which at first glance seemed to show one thing, when more carefully examined, assures us of the contrary.”
• “Alas! Your dear friend and servant Galileo has been for the last month hopelessly blind; so that this heaven, this earth, this universe, which I by my marvelous discoveries and clear demonstrations had enlarged a hundred thousand times beyond the belief of the wise men of bygone ages, henceforward for me is shrunk into such a small space as is filled by my own bodily sensations.”

3.Johannes Kepler Facts

Johannes Kepler helped lead a scientific revolution in the 17th century with his amazing work in the field of astronomy. Among his many contributions were the three laws of planetary motion.

Read on for interesting facts, quotes and information about Johannes Kepler.

• Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from December the 27th 1571 to November the 15th 1630.
• Kepler played a key role in the scientific revolution that occurred in the 17th century, contributing a number of scientific breakthroughs including his famous laws of planetary motion.
• The three laws of planetary motion devised by Kepler are:
  
  1. The orbit of every planet is an ellipse with the sun at a focus.
  2. A line joining a planet and the sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.
  3. The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.
• Kepler was interested in astronomy from an early age, this interest was further piqued when he witnessed both a comet in 1577 as well as a lunar eclipse in 1580.
• Kepler attended the University of Tübingen where he studied philosophy, excelled in mathematics, further developed his remarkable astronomy skills and even found time to create horoscopes for other students.
• Kepler achieved much of his work around the same time as another famous astronomer, Galileo Galilei. The two often had disagreeing opinions but their concurrent work helped spur physics, philosophy and astronomy forward rapidly to a new level of understanding.
• Kepler’s work on planetary motion helped Isaac Newton later devise his own theory of universal gravitation.
• Some of Kepler’s famous work includes: Mysterium cosmographicum (The Sacred Mystery of the Cosmos -1596), Astronomia nova (New Astronomy - 1609), Harmonice Mundi (Harmony of the Worlds - 1619) and Epitome astronomiae Copernicanae (Epitome of Copernican Astronomy - published between 1618 and 1621).
• NASA honored Kepler by naming a mission after him. Launched on March 6 2009, the Kepler Mission involves a high-tech space telescope that will search for other Earth-like planets.
• Famous Johannes Kepler quotes include: “Nature uses as little as possible of anything.”
• “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.”
• “I used to measure the heavens, now I measure the shadows of Earth.”
• “Geometry has two great treasures; one is the Theorem of Pythagoras; the other, the division of a line into extreme and mean ratio. The first we may compare to a measure of gold; the second we may name a precious jewel.”

4.Isaac Newton Facts

Sir Isaac Newton is one of the most influential scientists of all time. He came up with numerous theories and contributed ideas to many different fields including physics, mathematics and philosophy.

Read on for interesting facts, quotes and information about Isaac Newton.

• Born in England, Isaac Newton was a highly influential physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, alchemist and theologian.
• In 1687, Newton published Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, what is widely regarded to be one of the important books in the history of science. In it he describes universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, concepts that remained at the forefront of science for centuries after.
• Newton’s law of universal gravitation describes the gravitational attraction between bodies with mass, the earth and moon for example.
• Newton’s three laws of motion relate the forces acting on a body to its motion. The first is the law of inertia, it states that ‘every object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an outside force’. The second is commonly stated as ‘force equals mass times acceleration’, or F = ma. The third and final law is commonly known as ‘to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’.
• Other significant work by Newton includes the principles of conservation related to momentum and angular momentum, the refraction of light, an empirical law of cooling, the building of the first practical telescope and much more.
• Newton moved to London in 1696 and took up a role as the Warden of the Royal Mint, overseeing the production of the Pound Sterling.
• Newton was known to have said that his work on formulating a theory of gravitation was inspired by watching an apple fall from a tree. A story well publicized to this very day.
• Famous Isaac Newton quotes include: "Plato is my friend - Aristotle is my friend - but my greatest friend is truth."
• "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of Giants."
• "I can calculate the motions of the heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people."
• "I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."
• "Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things."

5.Michael Faraday Facts

Well regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time, Michael Faraday was a British physicist and chemist whose combined expertise led to the development of many of today’s common technologies.

Read on for interesting facts, quotes and information about Michael Faraday.

• Michael Faraday was born in England on the 22nd of September 1791 and died on the 25th of August 1867.
• His work on electrochemistry and electromagnetism laid the foundation for many areas of science. He formed the basis of the electromagnetic field concept in physics, discovered the laws of electrolysis, invented electromagnetic rotary devices that were vital in the creation of electric motors and played a key role in the development of electricity for use in technology.
• Not limited to physics and electromagnetism, Faraday also invented a simple Bunsen burner, coined terms such as electrode, cathode, anode and ion, discovered benzene and investigated the nature of chlorine.
• Faraday had only a basic education in a family that was not well off. He had only a minimal understanding of technical mathematical concepts but was still able to produce some of the most important scientific concepts in history and did so in a language that was clear and easily understood.
• Faraday was a man of honor who was strong in his convictions. He rejected both a knighthood and an offer to become President of the Royal Society as well turning down a burial in Westminster Abbey. He also refused to assist the British government in the production of chemical weapons for use in war.
• Famous Michael Faraday quotes include: “But still try, for who knows what is possible”
• “Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature”
• “There is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy than by considering the physical phenomena of a candle”
• “I was at first almost frightened when I saw such mathematical force made to bear upon the subject, and then wondered to see that the subject stood it so well.”

6.Nikola Tesla Facts

Nikola Tesla was a forward-thinking Serbian-American scientist and inventor who made important contributions to physics and engineering. He is best known for his work with electricity, including the design of alternating current (AC) electricity. He also had a flair for the dramatic, creating elaborate experiments and showcasing his work with spectacular demonstrations. Read on for interesting facts, quotes and information about the scientist Nikola Tesla.

• Tesla was born to Serbian parents on the 10th of July, 1856 in the village of Smiljan, part of the Austrian Empire (now Croatia). He died on the 7th of January, 1947 in room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel.
• After an eventful upbringing and education, Tesla moved to France in 1882 where he worked on electrical equipment at the Continental Edison Company.
• He immigrated to the USA in 1884 where he worked for Thomas Edison before resigning a year later to work on his own projects.
• Tesla went on to patent many of his inventions, including his AC induction motor and transformer which he licensed to George Westinghouse.
• Tesla, Westinghouse and Edison were at the heart of the so called ‘war of the currents’ between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) as a means of distributing electrical power.
• Tesla was known for high voltage experiments and demonstrations, including displays of his famous Tesla Coil which produces high voltage, low current electricity.
• In 1891, Tesla became a citizen of the United States.
• Tesla was the vice president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers between 1892 and 1894.
• Tesla experimented with X-rays and radio waves, developing important ideas and even making a few accidental discoveries thanks to his extravagant experiments.
• Tesla moved his lab to Colorado Springs in 1899 where he proved the Earth was a conductor, produced artificial lightning and became well known to his neighbors with ambitious electrical experiments that caused booming thunder, rogue sparks and the occasional power outage.
• Tesla later worked on the Wardenclyffe Tower (or Tesla Tower), a wireless transmission tower that was never completed.
• Tesla moved to the New Yorker Hotel in 1934 where he continued his research and spent the remaining years of his life before dying in 1943 at the age of 86.
• Famous Nikola Tesla quotes include: “Nature may reach the same result in many ways.”
• “Money does not represent such a value as men have placed upon it. All my money has been invested into experiments with which I have made new discoveries enabling mankind to have a little easier life.”
• “The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter - for the future. His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way. He lives and labors and hopes.”
• “Of all things I liked books best.”

7.Alexander Graham Bell Facts

Learn about the man credited with the invention of the first practical telephone with our Alexander Graham Bell facts for kids. Find out about his life growing up in Scotland, his move to Canada, his study of sound and his many experiments and inventions. Read on and enjoy our range of interesting facts and information related to Alexander Graham Bell.

• Alexander Graham Bell was an influential scientist, engineer and inventor.
• He was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He died on August 2, 1922 at the age of 75.
• He is widely credited with the invention of the first practical telephone.
• Bell’s mother and wife were both deaf, this had a major influence on his work.
• He didn’t have the middle name “Graham” until he turned 11 when his father gave it to him as a birthday present. He’d earlier asked to have a middle name like his two brothers.
• Bell became an excellent piano player at a young age.
• When he was 23, Bell and his parents moved to Canada.
• Bell studied the human voice and worked with various schools for the deaf.
• Bell experimented with sound, working with devices such as a ‘harmonic telegraph’ (used to send multiple messages over a single wire) and a ‘phonautograph’ (used to record sound).
• He worked on acoustic telegraphy with his assistant, an electrical designer named Thomas Watson.
• On February 14, 1876, Bell and an American electrical engineer named Elisha Gray both filed patents with the U.S. Patent Office covering the transmission of sounds telegraphically. There is debate about who got there first but the patent was awarded to Bell. A few days later he succeeded in getting his telephone to work using elements similar to those of Gray’s water transmitter.
• Bell’s first words with the working telephone were spoken to his assistant Watson and were along the lines of “Mr Watson, come here. I want to see you.”
• Bell improved on the design and by 1886 more than 150000 people owned telephones in the United States.
• Bell also had a strong interest in other scientific fields, conducting medical research, searching for alternative fuel sources, experimenting with metal detectors, developing hydrofoil watercraft and much more.
• Famous Alexander Graham Bell quotes include: "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."
• "A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with - a man is what he makes of himself."
• "The day will come when the man at the telephone will be able to see the distant person to whom he is speaking."
• "The inventor looks upon the world and is not contented with things as they are. He wants to improve whatever he sees, he wants to benefit the world; he is haunted by an idea. The spirit of invention possesses him, seeking materialization."

8.James Maxwell Facts

James Clerk Maxwell was a Scottish theoretical physicist and mathematician famous for bringing together a large number of equations, experiments and observations related to electricity and magnetism into a consistent electromagnetic theory. Read on for interesting facts, quotes and information about the scientist James Maxwell.

• James Maxwell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on the 13th of June 1831 and died on the 5th of November 1879.
• He produced a set of equations, known as ‘Maxwell’s Equations’ that explain the properties of magnetic and electric fields and help show that light is an electromagnetic wave.
• His impressive work was described in papers such as ‘On Physical Lines of Force’, ‘A Dynamic Theory of the Electromagnetic Field’ and ‘A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism’.
• Maxwell’s contributions played an important role in the advances made in 20th century physics and his work was often admired by fellow physicist Albert Einstein.
• Maxwell attended Edinburgh University from 1847 to 1850. He also spent a large amount of time at his home studying and undertaking various experiments.
• After his time at Edinburgh University, Maxwell moved on to Cambridge University where he remained from 1850 to 1856. He further developed his mathematical skills and other ideas before accepting a professorship at Aberdeen University in 1856.
• Maxwell was awarded a prize in1859 for his essay ‘On the Stability of Saturn's Rings’, which described the nature of Saturn’s rings as numerous small particles rather than a solid or fluid ring.
• A large amount of Maxwell’s research was based on the work of Michael Faraday, and although Maxwell was 40 years younger, the two meet each other on many occasions.
• Maxwell also made numerous contributions in the fields of color analysis, kinetic theory and thermodynamics. He is even attributed with creating the first true color photograph.
• Famous James Maxwell quotes include: “Aye, I suppose I could stay up that late.” – Said after being informed of a compulsory 6 a.m. church service at Cambridge University.
• “In every branch of knowledge the progress is proportional to the amount of facts on which to build, and therefore to the facility of obtaining data.”