James Hermann von Helmholtz, original name Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand Helmholtz, (born August 31, 1821, Potsdam, Prussia [Germany]—died September 8, 1894, Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany), German scientist and philosopher who made fundamental contributions to physiology, optics, electrodynamics, mathematics, and meteorology. He is best known for his statement of the law of the conservation of energy. He brought to his laboratory researach the ability to analyze … Read more
British South Africa’s financier, statesman, and empire builder Cecil Rhodes, full name Cecil John Rhodes, was born in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, England on July 5, 1853, and passed away in Muizenberg, Cape Colony (currently South Africa), on March 26, 1902. He founded the massive diamond mining company De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. during his 1890–1996 … Read more
Johannes Kepler, (born December 27, 1571, Weil der Stadt, Württemberg [Germany]—died November 15, 1630, Regensburg), German astronomer who discovered three major laws of planetary motion, conventionally designated as follows: (1) the planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus; (2) the time necessary to traverse any arc of a planetary orbit is proportional to the area of the sector between the central body and that arc (the … Read more
Thomas Edison, in full Thomas Alva Edison, (born February 11, 1847, Milan, Ohio, U.S.—died October 18, 1931, West Orange, New Jersey), American inventor who, singly or jointly, held a world-record 1,093 patents. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial research laboratory. Edison was the quintessential American inventor in the era of Yankee ingenuity. He began his career in 1863, in the adolescence of the telegraph industry, when … Read more
Leonardo da Vinci, also known as “Leonardo from Vinci,” was an Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer.He was born on April 15, 1452, in Anchiano, close to Vinci, Republic of Florence, and died on May 2, 1519, in Cloux, now in France. Clos-Lucé], France), whose talent and intellect, perhaps more than those of any … Read more
Born in Penzance, Cornwall, England on December 17, 1778, and dying in Geneva, Switzerland on May 29, 1829, Sir Humphry Davy was an English chemist and one of the most prominent proponents of the scientific method. He discovered a number of chemical elements and compounds, including sodium and potassium. Young age The eldest child of … Read more
William Morris, an English designer, craftsman, poet, and early socialist (born March 24, 1834, in Walthamstow, near London, England—died October 3, 1896, in Hammersmith, near London), is credited with inspiring the Arts and Crafts movement in England and revolutionizing Victorian taste with his designs for furniture, fabrics, stained glass, wallpaper, and other decorative arts. Early … Read more
French mathematician, physicist, philosopher of religion, and master of prose Blaise Pascal was born on June 19, 1623, in Clermont-Ferrand and passed away on August 19, 1662, in Paris. He developed what is now known as Pascal’s principle of pressure, laid the groundwork for the modern theory of probabilities, and spread a religious philosophy that … Read more
Earliest years Burnham was the youngest son and the sixth of seven children. His parents belonged to the Church of the New Jerusalem (now known as the New Church), also known as Swedenborgians, a radical Christian sect named for Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish scientist and mystic who opposed church hierarchy and emphasized serving others. In … Read more