On the Shoulders of Giants

These are the giants of science. They are the men who most greatly influenced the generations ahead of them with their innovations and discoveries. Play my quiz to find out. Here are some interesting facts from the quiz:

1. In spite of all his achievements, Christiaan Huygens isn't as well known as some of his contemporaries. Not only did he discover Titan and Saturn's rings, but he also invented the pendulum clock, wrote the first treatise on probability theory, and was the first person to propose the wave theory of light. Though Galileo was the first person to observe Saturn's rings, he did not see them clearly enough to know what they were.

2. Louis Pasteur made a number of contributions to the prevention of disease and his discoveries provided evidence for the existence of germs. During his lifetime (1822-1895) the idea of germs being responsible for illness was still only a theory. Along with his vaccinations for rabies and anthrax, his methods of pasteurization and fermentation have improved the longevity and saved the lives of countless individuals.

3. Michael Faraday's conception of the electromagnetic field allowed him to make a major discovery in electrical theory: induction. Using this, he was able to create a prototype for the first electric motor ever built, which lead to his creation of the dynamo. He also wrote the First and Second Laws of Electrolysis, discovered benzene, and invented an early form of the bunsen burner.

4. Benjamin Franklin also invented the bifocal lens and the Franklin stove. In addition to his genius for inventing things, he was a prominent speaker and writer. These skills led him to high office, including that of Governor of Pennsylvania (1785-1788). He was also the publisher of the Poor Richard's Almanack, and the first elected president of the American Philosophical Society.

The first hot air balloon was created by the Montgolfier brothers in 1782 and the cotton gin was created by Eli Whitney in 1793. The inventor of the sewing machine isn't known for sure, but Elias Howe was the first to patent one in 1846.

5.  Ernest Rutherford discovered many things on the subatomic level, like the proton and the concept of half-lives for radioactive substances. He was credited with discovering the nucleus of an atom after leading the 1909 Geiger-Marsden gold foil experiment. In 1997, the 104th element (rutherfodium) was named in his honor.

6. Robert Koch's four postulates linked several micro-organisms to specific diseases, which were all used by him when he isolated the bacteria that causes cholera and tuberculosis. In 1905, he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his efforts. Dutchman Antonie van Leeuwanhoek was the first person to observe bacteria of any kind.

7. William Herschel was a prolific astronomer. After discovering Uranus in 1781, he found the planet's two moons (Titan and Oberon) and two other moons of Saturn that hadn't yet been discovered. He also found 2,500 new nebulae and star clusters before capping off his career with the discovery of infrared radiation. Oh, and just to put a little icing on the cake, he wrote 24 symphonies.

8. Albert Ghiorso was credited with co-discovering 12 total elements. They were all in the transuranic series (elements with atomic numbers above 92) and discovered in a laboratory under controlled conditions. In the 19th century, Humphry Davy discovered six commonly known elements, including boron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium, and barium. Marie Curie discovered radium and polonium.

9. Contrary to popular belief, Galileo did not invent the telescope. However, he did build his own, which is how he became the first person ever to observe the night sky by telescope. Similarly, it is not clear whether he invented the thermometer, though he is often given credit for it. A couple of the things he did discover were sunspots and Jupiter's moons.

Isaac Newton invented the reflecting telescope, which showed that white light could decompose into all the colors of the visible spectrum. His three laws of motion and ideas about gravity were the cornerstones of physical science for over 200 years. Along with Gottfried Leibniz, he is also known for inventing calculus, which has a variety of applications across all the sciences.

10. Though more famous for his theories of relativity, Einstein's discovery of the photoelectric effect played a major roll in the development of Quantum Theory. On a larger scale, his discoveries of mass-energy equivalence and gravitational lensing changed the shape of cosmological physics forever. Until the publication of his Special (and General) Relativity, the equations of physical science had been limited to Newtonian mechanics.

Isaac Newton said it best; "if I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". Each of these scientists and inventors played key roles in their respective fields, and they could not have done so without the discoveries of their predecessors. 

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