a
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Howard H. Aiken
Inventor, Physicist / 1900 - 1973
Howard H. Aiken was a 20th century mathematician and engineer who came up with the idea behind the Mark I, a forerunner to modern computing devices.
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(1900-1973)
Inventor, Physicist
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Luis W. Alvarez
Physicist / 1911 - 1988
Luis Alvarez was an experimental physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1968.
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(1911-1988)
Physicist
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André Marie Ampère
Educator, Physicist, Journalist / 1775 - 1836
André Marie Ampère was a French physicist and founder of electrodynamics (electromagnetism). The unit for measuring electric current was named for him.
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(1775-1836)
Educator, Physicist, Journalist
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Carl D. Anderson
Physicist / 1905 - 1991
Carl D. Anderson and Victor Francis Hess received the 1936 Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering the positron, or the positively charged electron.
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(1905-1991)
Physicist
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Svante Arrhenius
Academic, Chemist, Physicist / 1859 - 1927
Svante Arrhenius was a Nobel Prize winning scientist known for his revolutionary theories in various fields, including physics, chemistry and astronomy.
See full bio
(1859-1927)
Academic, Chemist, Physicist
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John Atanasoff
Inventor, Physicist / 1903 - 1995
U.S. physicist John Atanasoff, with Clifford Berry, developed the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, capable of solving differential equations using binary arithmetic.
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(1903-1995)
Inventor, Physicist
b
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John Bardeen
Educator, Inventor, Physicist / 1908 - 1991
Physicist John Bardeen was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1956 for inventing the transistor, and in 1972 for the theory of superconductivity.
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(1908-1991)
Educator, Inventor, Physicist
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Henri Becquerel
Philosopher, Physicist / 1852 - 1908
Henri Becquerel was a French physicist who discovered radioactivity, an achievement for which he won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903.
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(1852-1908)
Philosopher, Physicist
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Hans Bethe
Physicist / 1906 - 2005
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Hans Albrecht Bethe is known for his discoveries regarding energy generation in stars and for advocating against the use of nuclear weapons.
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(1906-2005)
Physicist
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Niels Bohr
Physicist / 1885 - 1962
Niels Bohr was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and humanitarian whose revolutionary theories on atomic structures helped shape research worldwide.
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(1885-1962)
Physicist
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Max Born
Educator, Physicist / 1882 - 1970
Max Born was a German physicist who shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1954 with Walther Bothe for his probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics.
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(1882-1970)
Educator, Physicist
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Satyendra Nath Bose
Physicist / 1894 - 1974
Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose is known for working with Albert Einstein on the Bose-Einstein Condensate and as namesake of the boson, or “God particle.”
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(1894-1974)
Physicist
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Ferdinand Braun
Inventor, Physicist / 1850 - 1918
German physicist Karl Ferdinand Braun shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909 with Guglielmo Marconi for the development of wireless telegraphy.
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(1850-1918)
Inventor, Physicist
c
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George Carruthers
Physicist / 1939 -
Scientist George Carruthers created inventions, such as the ultraviolet camera, or spectograph, which was used by NASA in the 1972 Apollo 16 flight, revealing the mysteries of space and the Earth's atmosphere.
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(1939-)
Physicist
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Owen Chamberlain
Physicist / 1920 - 2006
Owen Chamberlain worked on the Manhattan atomic bomb project. He and his colleague Emilio Segrè received a Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the antiproton.
See full bio
(1920-2006)
Physicist
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Franklin Chang-Díaz
Physicist / 1950 -
Costa Rican-born Franklin Chang-Díaz was the first Hispanic-American astronaut. He made several trips to space for NASA and developed plasma propulsion.
See full bio
(1950-)
Physicist
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Jacques Alexandre César Charles
Mathematician, Inventor, Physicist, Academic Author / 1746 - 1823
Jacques Alexandre César Charles was a French scientist and inventor who, along with Nicholas Robert, was the first to take flight in a hydrogen balloon.
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(1746-1823)
Mathematician, Inventor, Physicist, Academic Author
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Steven Chu
Scientist, Physicist, Government Official / 1948 -
Physicist Steven Chu was co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997 for his work on cooling atoms, and became the U.S. Secretary of Energy in 2009.
See full bio
(1948-)
Scientist, Physicist, Government Official
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Marie Curie
Physicist / 1867 - 1934
Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist famous for her work on radioactivity and twice a winner of the Nobel Prize.
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(1867-1934)
Physicist
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Pierre Curie
Academic, Chemist, Physicist / 1859 - 1906
French physicist Pierre Curie was of founding fathers of modern physics and is best known for being a pioneer in radioactive studies.
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(1859-1906)
Academic, Chemist, Physicist
d
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Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
Painter, Inventor, Physicist / 1787 - 1851
Louis Daguerre was a French artist and physicist who gained international acclaim when he invented the process of photography.
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(1787-1851)
Painter, Inventor, Physicist
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Charles Coulomb
Physicist / 1736 - 1806
Charles Coulomb was a French engineer and physicist who made pioneering discoveries in his field and came up with the theory called Coulomb’s Law.
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(1736-1806)
Physicist
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Christian Doppler
Educator, Mathematician, Physicist / 1803 - 1853
Austrian physicist Christian Doppler first described the Doppler effect, in reference to the observed frequency of light and sound waves, in the paper "Concerning the Coloured Light of Double Stars."
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(1803-1853)
Educator, Mathematician, Physicist
e
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Albert Einstein
Physicist / 1879 - 1955
Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist who developed the theory of relativity. He is considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century.
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(1879-1955)
Physicist
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Mileva Einstein-Maric
Physicist / 1875 - 1948
Mileva Einstein-Maric was the first wife of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein.
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(1875-1948)
Physicist
f
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Gustav Fechner
Philosopher, Physicist / 1801 - 1887
German physicist Gustav Fechner utilized his science background to establish a new field called psychophysics, a science of psychology.
See full bio
(1801-1887)
Philosopher, Physicist
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Enrico Fermi
Physicist / 1901 - 1954
Physicist Enrico Fermi built the prototype of a nuclear reactor and worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bomb.
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(1901-1954)
Physicist
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Richard Feynman
Academic, Inventor, Physicist / 1918 - 1988
American physicist Richard Feynman is an American physicist best known for his work in quantum mechanics. He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb.
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(1918-1988)
Academic, Inventor, Physicist
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Jean Foucault
Physicist / 1819 - 1868
Jean Foucault was a French physicist and inventor best known for inventing the Foucault pendulum.
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(1819-1868)
Physicist
g
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Murray Gell-Mann
Physicist / 1929 -
Nobel Prize–winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann developed the concept of "strangeness" and gave the name "quark" to the basic building block of matter.
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(1929-)
Physicist
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Sheldon Glashow
Physicist, Academic Author / 1932 -
Sheldon Glashow received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979. His work on the electroweak theory explained the unity of electromagnetism and the weak force.
See full bio
(1932-)
Physicist, Academic Author
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Robert Goddard
Educator, Engineer, Inventor, Physicist / 1882 - 1945
American physicist Robert H. Goddard built the world's first liquid-fueld rocket in 1926 and is best known as the founding father of modern rocketry.
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(1882-1945)
Educator, Engineer, Inventor, Physicist
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Gordon Gould
Physicist / 1920 - 2005
Gordon Gould contributed to the invention of a Laser that uses visible light and the first use of the acronym LASER, in 1959.
See full bio
(1920-2005)
Physicist
h
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Stephen Hawking
Physicist / 1942 -
Stephen Hawking is known for his work regarding black holes and for authoring several popular science books. He suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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| Watch video
(1942-)
Physicist
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Joseph Henry
Physicist / 1797 - 1878
Physicist Joseph Henry aided Samuel F.B. Morse in developing the telegraph. He also discovered several important principles of electricity.
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(1797-1878)
Physicist
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Robert Hooke
Philosopher, Scholar, Mathematician, Architect, Illustrator, Astronomer, Physicist, Academic Author / 1635 - 1703
Robert Hooke was an English philosopher, mathematician and architect who discovered the law of elasticity, now known as Hooke's law.
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(1635-1703)
Philosopher, Scholar, Mathematician, Architect, Illustrator, Astronomer, Physicist, Academic Author
i
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Jan Ingenhousz
Biologist, Chemist, Physicist / 1730 - 1799
Jan Ingenhousz was a Dutch physiologist, biologist and chemist who discovered the plant process photosynthesis.
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(1730-1799)
Biologist, Chemist, Physicist
k
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Heike Kamerlingh-Onnes
Academic, Physicist / 1853 - 1926
Heike Kamerlingh-Onnes was a Dutch scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his production of liquid helium. He also discovered superconductivity.
See full bio
(1853-1926)
Academic, Physicist
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Gustav Kirchhoff
Physicist / 1824 - 1887
German physicist Gustav Kirchoff became the first scientist to show that electric current flows at the speed of light through a conductor.
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(1824-1887)
Physicist
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Walter Kohn
Chemist, Physicist / 1923 -
Walter Kohn is a physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1998 for his work in quantum chemistry.
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(1923-)
Chemist, Physicist
l
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Edwin Land
Inventor, Physicist / 1909 - 1991
Edwin Land is best known as the inventor of the Polaroid camera and film, and as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation.
See full bio
(1909-1991)
Inventor, Physicist
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Irving Langmuir
Chemist, Physicist / 1881 - 1957
Irving Langmuir was an American chemist and physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in surface chemistry.
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(1881-1957)
Chemist, Physicist
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Tsung Dao Lee
Physicist / 1926 -
Tsang Dao Lee is a Chinese-born American physicist who received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957.
See full bio
(1926-)
Physicist
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Gabriel Lippmann
Physicist / 1845 - 1921
French physicist Gabriel Lippmann created the first color photographic plate. The creation earned him the 1908 Nobel Prize for Physics.
See full bio
(1845-1921)
Physicist
m
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Theodore H. Maiman
Physicist / 1927 - 2007
Theodore H. Maiman was a physicist, company leader, consultant and author who created the first working laser in 1960.
See full bio
(1927-2007)
Physicist
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Peter Mansfield
Academic, Physicist / 1933 -
Professor Peter Mansfield received the Nobel Prize for further developing magnetic resonance (MRI) technology, leading to its widespread use in hospitals.
See full bio
(1933-)
Academic, Physicist
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Guglielmo Marconi
Inventor, Physicist / 1874 - 1937
Guglielmo Marconi was a Nobel Prize winning physicist and inventor, credited with the ground breaking work necessary for all future radio technology.
See full bio
(1874-1937)
Inventor, Physicist
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James C. Maxwell
Academic, Physicist / 1831 - 1879
Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell originated the idea of electromagnetic radiation. His ideas formed the basis for quantum mechanics.
See full bio
(1831-1879)
Academic, Physicist
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Robert A. Millikan
Educator, Physicist / 1868 - 1953
American physicist Robert A. Milikan is best known for measuring the charge on the electron, for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1923.
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(1868-1953)
Educator, Physicist
n
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Isaac Newton
Philosopher, Mathematician, Astronomer, Physicist / 1643 - 1727
English physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, most famous for his law of gravitation, was instrumental in the scientific revolution of the 17th century.
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(1643-1727)
Philosopher, Mathematician, Astronomer, Physicist
o
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Hermann Oberth
Physicist / 1894 - 1989
Hermann Oberth has been called "the father of German rocketry." He assisted Wernher von Braun in the 1950s in developing space rockets for the United States.
See full bio
(1894-1989)
Physicist
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J. Robert Oppenheimer
Academic, Engineer, Physicist / 1904 - 1967
J. Robert Oppenheimer is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for leading the Manhattan Project, the program that developed the first nuclear weapon during World War II.
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(1904-1967)
Academic, Engineer, Physicist
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Ernest O. Lawrence
Educator, Inventor, Physicist / 1901 - 1958
American physicist Ernest O. Lawrence won the 1939 Nobel Prize for Physics for his invention of the cyclotron particle accelerator.
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(1901-1958)
Educator, Inventor, Physicist
p
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Blaise Pascal
Philosopher, Mathematician, Theologian, Physicist / 1623 - 1662
Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher, who laid the foundation for the modern theory of probabilities.
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(1623-1662)
Philosopher, Mathematician, Theologian, Physicist
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Wolfgang Pauli
Physicist / 1900 - 1958
Wolfgang Pauli was a physicist and recipient of the 1945 Nobel Prize for Physics for his discovery in 1925 of the Pauli exclusion principle.
See full bio
(1900-1958)
Physicist
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Johannes Purkinje
Physicist / 1787 - 1869
Czech experimental physiologist Johannes Purkinje discovered the Purkinje effect, Purkinje cells and Purkinje fibers and first introduced the term protoplasm.
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(1787-1869)
Physicist
r
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Sally Ride
Educator, Astronaut, Physicist / 1951 - 2012
In 1983, astronaut and astrophysicist Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Ride died on July 23, 2012 at the age of 61, following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
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(1951-2012)
Educator, Astronaut, Physicist
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Peter Mark Roget
Scholar, Physicist, Academic Author, Publisher / 1779 - 1869
British scholar and physician Peter Mark Roget was best known for publishing Roget's Thesaurus in 1852 and helping to found the University of London.
See full bio
(1779-1869)
Scholar, Physicist, Academic Author, Publisher
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Joseph Rotblat
Activist, Physicist, Journalist / 1908 - 2005
Physicist Joseph Rotblat participated in the Manhattan project. After the World War II, he devoted himself to peaceful applications of nuclear physics.
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(1908-2005)
Activist, Physicist, Journalist
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Ernest Rutherford
Physicist / 1871 - 1937
Physicist Ernest Rutherford was the central figure in the study of radioactivity who led the exploration of nuclear physics.
See full bio
(1871-1937)
Physicist
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Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
Physicist / 1845 - 1923
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a Nobel-winning German scientist who is credited with the discovery of X-rays.
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(1845-1923)
Physicist
s
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Erwin Schrödinger
Scholar, Physicist / 1887 - 1961
Austrian theoretical physicist Erwin Schrödinger contributed to the wave theory of matter and to other fundamentals of quantum mechanics.
See full bio
(1887-1961)
Scholar, Physicist
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William B Shockley
Physicist / 1910 - 1989
William Shockley was an engineer and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1956 for his development of the transistor.
See full bio
(1910-1989)
Physicist
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Leo Szilard
Physicist / 1898 - 1964
A student of such famed physicists as Albert Einstein and Max Planck, Leo Szilard was key in getting the United States to work on the atomic bomb.
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(1898-1964)
Physicist
t
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William Henry Fox Talbot
Photographer, Astronomer, Chemist, Physicist / 1800 - 1877
William Henry Fox Talbot was a chemist who was the first to develop the photographic negative.
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(1800-1877)
Photographer, Astronomer, Chemist, Physicist
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Joseph H. Taylor Jr.
Astronomer, Physicist / 1941 -
American radio astronomer and physicist Joseph H. Taylor Jr. was the co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering the first binary pulsar.
See full bio
(1941-)
Astronomer, Physicist
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J.J. Thomson
Academic, Physicist / 1856 - 1940
J.J. Thomson was a Nobel Prize winning physicist whose research led to the discovery of electrons.
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(1856-1940)
Academic, Physicist
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William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin of Largs
Physicist, Academic Author / 1824 - 1907
Lord Kelvin was an Irish physicist who developed a temperature scale based on absolute zero, named the Kelvin scale.
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(1824-1907)
Physicist, Academic Author
v
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Johannes Diederik van der Waals
Physicist / 1837 - 1923
Dutch physicist Johannes Diederik van der Waals was winner of the 1910 Nobel Prize for Physics for his research on the gaseous and liquid states of matter.
See full bio
(1837-1923)
Physicist
w
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Steven Weinberg
Academic, Physicist / 1933 -
Steven Weinberg is a U.S. physicist and Nobel laureate who contributed to work on the unification of the weak force and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles.
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(1933-)
Academic, Physicist
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Robert Woodrow Wilson
Astronomer, Physicist / 1936 -
Robert Woodrow Wilson is an American radio astronomer and physicist best known for the discovery that supported the big bang model of creation.
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(1936-)
Astronomer, Physicist
y
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Rosalyn S. Yalow
Academic, Physicist / 1921 -
Rosalyn S. Yalow was a Nobel Prize-winning medical physicist who conducted groundbreaking research on type II diabetes.
See full bio
(1921-)
Academic, Physicist
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Chen Ning Yang
Academic, Physicist / 1922 -
Chinese-American physicist Chen Ning Yang was co-awarded the 1957 Nobel prize for work on parity nonconservation of weak interaction.
See full bio
(1922-)
Academic, Physicist