There are those that are known for their physical capabilities, while there are those who are known for their mental traits. The following are 10 of the best thinkers to ever walk the planet. They were able to conceive ideas and inventions that we never even thought possible. Whose name on this list deserves to be hailed as the most brilliant? Who do you think is the greatest scientist who ever lived?
Louis Pasteur
With his fierce devotion to the prevention of diseases and in fighting microbial infections, Louis Pasteur is a scientific hero who can’t only be called as such because of his brilliance, but because of the number of lives he has saved through his scientific outputs. Although he made groundbreaking discoveries, his reputation was nicked and dented with various controversies.
By scrutinizing his writings, it was revealed that he employed deception to outsmart his rivals. The world as a whole doesn’t really mind though, he is still declared as one of the greatest in medicine, as well as in the entire world of science for that matter.
Born: December 27, 1822
Died: September 28, 1895 (aged 72)
From: Dole, France
Fields: chemistry, microbiology
Most known for: Pasteurization
James Clerk Maxwell
Although he is not as popular as Newton or Einstein, many experts claim that he should be hailed as equally important. It is believed that without his influence, Relativity and even Physics as well would not be as comprehensive to us or to other aspiring scientists.
You certainly can’t imagine a life without colored pictures and screen displays. And since that’s a fact, life for you and for all of us would be truly dull without Maxwell, because it was him who invented color photography.
Born: June 13, 1831
Died: November 5, 1879 (aged 48)
From: Edinburgh, Scotland
Fields: physics, mathematics
Most known for: Generalized Maxwell Model
Plato
He was known to the academe as a philosopher, but unknown to most of us, he only became one, because of his great passion for science. Back then, hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born, scientific knowledge and methods were very scarce, so Plato conducted his means of inquiry just to find the answers to the mysteries around him.
He was a foundational figure for Western science and mathematics, and will always be one of the greatest entities to ever navigate the very wide expanse of the realm of philosophy.
Born: 428/427 or 424/423 BC
Died: 348/347 BC (age c. 80)
From: Athens, Greece
Fields: rhetoric, literature,
Most known for: Platonic Idealism
Isaac Newton
While just a 23-year old kid, he invented calculus – a mathematical weapon that scientists and mathematicians use regularly today to combat skepticism and confusion. It’s not only the hallmark of his genius though, for he was also credited with the invention of the first practical reflecting telescope, among other things.
And of course, let’s not forget that story of the falling apple that brought to us the greatest understanding about how our planet moves, as well as how it circumnavigates the universe too. He is a scientific icon, one that is being looked up too by other geniuses and scientists today.
Born: December 25, 1642
Died: March 20, 1726/7 (aged 84)
From: Lincolnshire, England
Fields: physics, natural philosophy
Most known for: Calculus
Nikola Tesla
Known as a great showman whenever people would come to see his inventions in action, Tesla is perhaps the one who popularized the ‘mad-scientist’ catch-phrase that is often used in movies and fictional literature. Harnessing the power of electronic induction in his flagship achievements, he might as well be called as the earth-bound angel that brought to us the ever-omniscient electrical current that we can never live without in these modern times.
He was a bachelor throughout his life. Why he never married could be due to the fact that he has only one true love: Science.
Born: July 10, 1856
Died: January 7, 1943 (aged 86)
From: Smiljan, Austrian Empire
Fields: electrical/mechanical engineering,
Most known for: Tesla Coil
Albert Einstein
In mass media, as well as in pop-culture, the words brilliant and genius are now forever etched as synonymous to “Albert Einstein.” Having published deep insights about how physics should be truly approached and explained, he is declared by many scientists that came after him as their ultimate scientific hero.
Driven with the initial thoughts that the Newtonian approach to physics wouldn’t be relevant anymore to modern physics, he dedicated his life to that pursuit and have indeed changed the way scientists think forever.
Born: March 14, 1879
Died: April 18, 1955 (aged 76)
From: Wurttemberg, Germany
Fields: theoretical physics, mathematics
Most known for: The Theory of Relativity
Archimedes
He was born in a generation when modernity is still too far ahead, yet he amazingly anticipated modern calculus and analysis by applying concepts of infinitesimals and the method of exhaustion. He was known as an inventor, though it pales in comparison to his mathematical achievements.
Among his famous inventions were the Archimedes’s screw, heat ray, and ‘the claw’ He is considered to be the greatest mathematician of ancient history, as is declared as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity.
Born: 287 BC
Died: 212 BC (aged 75)
From: Sicily, Magna Graecia
Fields: mathematics, physics, engineering
Most known for: Archimedean Property
Charles Darwin
If someone were to ask who is the scientist that garnered the most hate from religious groups, this guy would be the most obvious answer. The reason is simple: he established a system of thought that man, for all his beauty and intellect actually came from apes.
That’s the statement he is most known for, although his list of accomplishments actually include a detailed explanation about how natural selection serve as the guiding force that brought all lifeforms into existence. He is one of the most hated scientists of all, but his way of thinking made him greatly loved by fellow scientists
Born: February 12, 1809
Died: April 19 1882 (aged 73)
From: Shrewsbury, England
Fields: natural history, geology
Most known for: The Theory of Evolution
Michael Faraday
It is almost impossible to think of a world without electronic gadgets. And since it is Mr. Faraday that paved the way for anything electronic in this modern world, then we have to acknowledge that he is a true hero indeed. His mathematical abilities may have only been looked down by people within his field of discipline at it were limited only to the simplest algebra.
But he was an excellent experimentalist who conveyed his ideas in clear and simple language, which made him greatly loved by people that lived many generations after he passed away.
Born: 22 September 1791
Died: August 25, 1867 (aged 75)
From: Newington Butts, England
Fields: physics, chemistry
Most known for: Faraday’s Law of Induction
Leonardo Da Vinci
They say that curiosity is the root of all knowledge, and since Da Vinci is labeled by some historians as the “most curious man who ever lived,” then we might say that his mind is the kind where all sorts of knowledge could greatly stream from. Such a trait drove him into conceptualizing lots of inventions, though most of these never saw the light of day.
He is the quintessential “renaissance man,” mainly due to the fact that during that era, no entity was ever as famous as him. He was an artist, a philosopher, and the ultimate person to embody the phrase “unorthodox scientist.”
Born: April 5, 1452
Died: May 2, 1519 (aged 67)
From: Vinci, Italy
Fields: engineering, architecture, arts
Most known for: The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper
Who do you think among them should be declared as number 1?
i thing Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton is the best scientist in the world. My favorite is Isaac Newton. I love him💝💝💝