ISAAC NEWTON

(1642-1727)
Isaac Newton PRS (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27)
was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer,
theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural
philosopher") widely recognised as one of the greatest
mathematicians and physicists of all time and among the most
influential scientists. He was a key figure in the philosophical
revolution known as the Enlightenment. His book Philosophiæ
Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of
Natural Philosophy), first published in 1687, established
classical mechanics. Newton also made seminal contributions to
optics, and shares credit with German mathematician Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz for developing infinitesimal calculus.
 GALILEO GALILEI
(1564 – 1642)

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is considered the father of modern science and made major
contributions to the fields of physics, astronomy, cosmology, mathematics and philosophy.
Galileo invented an improved telescope that let him observe and describe the moons of Jupiter,
the rings of Saturn, the phases of Venus, sunspots and the rugged lunar surface. His flair
for self-promotion earned him powerful friends among Italy’s ruling elite and enemies
among the Catholic Church’s leaders. Galileo’s advocacy of a heliocentric universe brought
him before religious authorities in 1616 and again in 1633, when he was forced to recant
and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life
 CHARLES DARWIN
(1809 – 1882)
Charles Darwin was a British naturalist who developed a theory of evolution
based on natural selection. His views and “social Darwinism” remain
controversial.
Charles Robert Darwin was a British naturalist and biologist known for his
theory of evolution and his understanding of the process of natural selection. In
1831, he embarked on a five-year voyage around the world on the HMS Beagle,
during which time his studies of various plants and an led him to formulate his
theories. In 1859, he published his landmark book, On the Origin of Species.
Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in the tiny merchant town of
Shrewsbury, England. A child of wealth and privilege who loved to explore
nature, Darwin was the second youngest of six kids.
Darwin came from a long line of scientists: His father, Dr. R.W. Darwin, was a
medical doctor, and his grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, was a renowned
botanist. Darwin’s mother, Susanna, died when he was only eight years old.
In October 1825, at age 16, Darwin enrolled at University of Edinburgh along
with his brother Erasmus. Two years later, he became a student at Christ's
College in Cambridge.
ARCHIMEDES
OF SYRACUSE

Archimedes was born in the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily in 287 BC. He was the
son of an astronomer and mathematician named Phidias. Aside from that, very little is
known about the early life of Archimedes or his family. Some maintain that he belonged to
the nobility of Syracuse, and that his family was in some way related to that of Hiero II,
King of Syracuse.
In the third century BC, Syracuse was a hub of commerce, art and science. As a youth in
Syracuse Archimedes developed his natural curiosity and penchant for problem solving.
When he had learned as much as he could from his teachers, Archimedes traveled to Egypt
in order to study in Alexandria. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria
had, by Archimedes' time, earned a reputation for great learning and scholarship.
Euclid was one of the most well-known scholars who lived in Alexandria prior to Archimedes'
arrival in the city. Euclid was a renowned mathematician, perhaps best remembered for
collecting all of the existent Greek geometrical treatises and assembling them in a logical
and systematic order in his book, “The Elements.” This compilation was fundamental to the
study of geometry for over 2,000 years, and undoubtedly influenced the work of
Archimedes.
After his studies in Alexandria, Archimedes returned to Syracuse and pursued a life of
thought and invention. Many apocryphal legends record how Archimedes endeared himself
to King Hiero II, discovering solutions to problems that vexed the king.
 NIKOLA TESLA
(1856 – 1943)
Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in Smiljan, Croatia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. His father was a priest in the Serbian Orthodox church and his mother managed the
family’s farm. In 1863 Tesla’s brother Daniel was killed in a riding accident. The shock of
the loss unsettled the 7-year-old Tesla, who reported seeing visions—the first signs of his
lifelong mental illnesses.
Serbian-American engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) made dozens of
breakthroughs in the production, transmission and application of electric power. He invented
the first alternating current (AC) motor and developed AC generation and transmission
technology. Though he was famous and respected, he was never able to translate his copious
inventions into long-term financial success—unlike his early employer and chief rival,
Thomas Edison.
 Thomas Alva Edison
(1847-1931 )
Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio. He was the seventh
and last child born to Samuel Edison Jr. and Nancy Elliott Edison, and would be one of
four to survive to adulthood. Thomas Edison received little formal education, and left school
in 1859 to being working on the railroad between Detroit and Port Huron, Michigan, where
his family then lived.
In his 84 years, Thomas Edison acquired a record number of 1,093 patents (singly or
jointly) and was the driving force behind such innovations as the phonograph, the
incandescent light bulb and one of the earliest motion picture cameras. He also created the
world’s first industrial research laboratory. Known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park,” for the
New Jersey town where he did some of his best-known work, Edison had become one of the
most famous men in the world by the time he was in his 30s. In addition to his talent for
invention, Edison was also a successful manufacturer and businessman who was highly
skilled at marketing his inventions–and himself–to the public.