Charles Babbage was known for his contributions to the first mechanical computers, which laid the groundwork for more complex future designs.
1791-1871
Scottish engineer John Logie Baird was the first man to televise pictures of objects in motion. He also demonstrated color television, in 1928.
1888-1946
Alexander Graham Bell was one of the primary inventors of the telephone, did important work in communication for the deaf and held more than 18 patents.
1847-1922
Humphry Davy was a British chemist best known for his contributions to the discoveries of chlorine and iodine. He is noted for suggesting the anesthetic use of nitrous oxide in human surgery.
1778-1829
Eadweard Muybridge's photography of moving animals captured movement in a way that had never been done before. His work was used by both scientists and artists.
1830-1904
Francis Galton was an English explorer and anthropologist best known for his research in eugenics and human intelligence. He was the first to study the effects of human selective mating.
1822-1911
British inventor Jonathan Carter worked for James Watt. Seeking to improve on Watt's design, he devised the first reciprocating compound steam engine.
1753-1815
Kirkpatrick Macmillan is best known for inventing the first pedal bicycle.
1812-1878
Thomas Paine was an English American writer and pamphleteer whose "Common Sense" and other writings influenced the American Revolution, and helped pave the way for the Declaration of Independence.
1737-1809
1781-1848