Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk who is considered the father of genetics. He conducted breeding experiments with pea plants from 1854 to 1863, studying inheritance patterns of traits like plant height and seed color. His experiments led to the discovery of the fundamental laws of inheritance, including the law of dominance, the law of segregation, and the law of independent assortment. Although his findings were published in 1866, they were largely ignored until the early 20th century, when his principles became widely accepted and formed the foundation of genetics.