100 Scientists who Shaped World History

Book excerpt: Readers will be fascinated to learn about a wide range of scientists who have attained recognition or have demonstrated unique abilities in a variety of scientifc fields including, astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, physics, anthropology, oceanography, botany, and medicine. Chronolgically presented, this book begins with Pythagoras (c. 580 BC to c 500 BC) and ends with Stephen Hawking (b. 1942). As with all of the scientists featured in 100 Scientists Who Shaped World History, both men sought answers to the physical world around them. Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher and mathematician, coined the world philosphy, believed that mathematics and nature were harmonious and is best known for the Pythagorean theorem. Hawking, an English physicist, combined the theory of relativity with quantum mechanics to describe the properties of black holes.