A proof followed, adding a level of certainty rare in other high school classes, like social studies and English. Pythagoras, a sixth-century B. Greek philosopher and mathematician, is credited with inventing his namesake theorem and various proofs.
But forget about the certainty. Babylonian and Egyptian mathematicians used the equation centuries before Pythagoras, says Karen Eva Carr, a retired historian at Portland State University, though many scholars leave open the possibility he developed the first proof.
Even so, we know enough to suspect Pythagoras was one of the great mathematicians of antiquity. His influence was widespread and lasting. Read More: Hey, I know that name. Meet the scientists behind the measurement units you use in your daily life. It started in Sweden: a functional, user-friendly innovation that took over the world, bringing order to chaos. No, not an Ikea closet organizer. He lived at a time when formal scientific training was scant and there was no system for referring to living things.
The 18th century was also a time when European explorers were fanning out across the globe, finding ever more plants and animals new to science. He intended the simple Latin two-word construction for each plant as a kind of shorthand, an easy way to remember what it was. The names moved quickly from the margins of a single book to the center of botany, and then all of biology. Linnaeus started a revolution, but it was an unintentional one. Today we regard Linnaeus as the father of taxonomy, which is used to sort the entire living world into evolutionary hierarchies, or family trees.
But the systematic Swede was mostly interested in naming things rather than ordering them, an emphasis that arrived the next century with Charles Darwin. But his naming system, so simple and adaptable, remains.
Linnaeus gave us a system so we could talk about the natural world. But no one mentioned Rosalind Franklin — arguably the greatest snub of the 20th century.
The British-born Franklin was a firebrand, a perfectionist who worked in isolation. Franklin was also a brilliant chemist and a master of X-ray crystallography, an imaging technique that reveals the molecular structure of matter based on the pattern of scattered X-ray beams. Her early research into the microstructures of carbon and graphite are still cited, but her work with DNA was the most significant — and it may have won three men a Nobel. But in , in the prime of her career, she developed ovarian cancer — perhaps due to her extensive X-ray work.
Franklin continued working in the lab until her death in at age Read More: Check out some of the lesser known science heroes. Isaac Asimov — Asimov was my gateway into science fiction, then science, then everything else. A trained biochemist, the Russian-born New Yorker wrote prolifically, producing over books, not all science-related: Of the 10 Dewey Decimal categories, he has books in nine. Richard Feynman — Feynman played a part in most of the highlights of 20th-century physics.
In , he joined the Manhattan Project. As part of the space shuttle Challenger disaster investigation, he explained the problems to the public in easily understandable terms, his trademark. Feynman was also famously irreverent, and his books pack lessons I live by. FitzRoy founded the U. But after losing his fortunes, suffering from depression and poor health, and facing fierce criticism of his forecasting system, he slit his throat in Jean-Baptiste Lamarck — Lamarck may be remembered as a failure today, but to me, he represents an important step forward for evolutionary thinking.
Before he suggested that species could change over time in the early 19th century, no one took the concept of evolution seriously. Lucretius 99 B. My path to the first-century B. Instead, she married rich. She also fought to make her alma mater more accessible to women, leading to an all-female dormitory, allowing more women to enroll.
A champion of the national parks enough right there to make him a hero to me! Rolf O. As the wolf population has nearly disappeared and moose numbers have climbed, patience and emotional investment like his are crucial in the quest to learn how nature works. Marie Tharp — I love maps. So did geologist and cartographer Tharp. In the midth century, before women were permitted aboard research vessels, Tharp explored the oceans from her desk at Columbia University.
With the seafloor — then thought to be nearly flat — her canvas, and raw data her inks, she revealed a landscape of mountain ranges and deep trenches. Her keen eye also spotted the first hints of plate tectonics at work beneath the waves. Science needs to get out of the lab and into the public eye.
Over the past hundred years or so, these scientists have made it their mission. Sean M. Carroll — : The physicist and one-time Discover blogger has developed a following among space enthusiasts through his lectures, television appearances and books, including The Particle at the End of the Universe, on the Higgs boson. Rachel Carson — : With her book Silent Spring , the biologist energized a nascent environmental movement. In , Discover named Silent Spring among the top 25 science books of all time.
Richard Dawkins — : The biologist, a charismatic speaker, first gained public notoriety in with his book The Selfish Gene , one of his many works on evolution. Stephen Jay Gould — : In , the paleontologist Gould was a guest on The Simpson s, a testament to his broad appeal. Among scientists, Gould was controversial for his idea of evolution unfolding in fits and starts rather than in a continuum.
His posthumously published A Sand County Almanac is a cornerstone of modern environmentalism. Bill Nye — : What should an engineer and part-time stand-up comedian do with his life? For Nye, the answer was to become a science communicator. Oliver Sacks — : The neurologist began as a medical researcher, but found his calling in clinical practice and as a chronicler of strange medical maladies, most famously in his book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.
Sagan brought the wonder of the universe to the public in a way that had never happened before. His subsequent works have filled many a bookshelf with provocative discussions of biodiversity, philosophy and the animals he has studied most closely: ants.
As science progresses, so does the roll call of new voices serving as bridges between lab and layman. Here are some of our favorite emerging science stars:. British physicist Brian Cox became a household name in the U. Neuroscientist Carl Hart debunks anti-science myths supporting misguided drug policies via various media, including his memoir High Price.
From the Amazon forest to the dissecting table, YouTube star and naturalist Emily Graslie brings viewers into the guts of the natural world, often literally. When not talking dinosaurs or head transplants on Australian radio, molecular biologist Upulie Divisekera coordinates RealScientists , a rotating Twitter account for science outreach.
Many inventors that have changed the world came out of New York City. Also, many of the most widely used products in the world were invented in New York City by New Yorkers. The following is a short list of some of the more widely acclaimed inventors to come out of New York City. Babcock was a mechanical engineer from New York City.
He was born in and he was the 6th president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and had many patents. He patented quite a few different types of pumps and steam engines. This design was used for everything from steam heating to steam power. The business he created has sustained throughout the years to become a multifaceted energy concern. The company that Babcock created is now heavily involved in the development of nuclear power and nuclear technologies.
Willis Carrier was not born in New York City but became one of its most famous later on in his life. Carrier gained quite a lot of notoriety in the early s when he patented the plans for the very first air conditioning system. He was also adept in mathematics and physics.
These disciplines were important for him to have a grounding in. These famous Americans, famous entertainers, famous players, famous scientist, famous singers, famous statesmen, famous women, heroes, great explorers, and others New York famous Americans have all made New York their home. This list includes New York historical figures, celebrities and those individuals of New York who have influenced the lives of others.
Find more more New York famous people below.
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