The document profiles many famous scientists and inventors throughout history including their contributions. Some of the key figures mentioned are Galileo who developed the telescope, Newton who invented the reflecting telescope and made advances in physics, and Benjamin Franklin who discovered electricity and invented the lightning rod. Other inventors highlighted include James Watt who improved the steam engine, Alessandro Volta who invented the battery, and Charles Babbage who created the first mechanical computer.

1. Galileo (1564–1642) Italian scientist. Galileo developed a
powerful telescope and confirmed revolutionary theories about the nature of the
world. Also developed an improved compass
Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1726) English scientist. Newton invented the
reflecting telescope. This greatly improved the capacity of telescopes and reduced
optical distortion. Newton was also a great physicist and astronomer.
Benjamin Franklin (1705–1790) American polymath who
discovered electricity and invented the Franklin stove, the lightning rod and
bifocals. Franklin was also an American statesman and an influential figure in the
development of modern America.

2. James Watt (1736–1819) Scottish inventor of the steam engine, which was
suitable for use in trains. His invention of a separate condensing chamber greatly
improved the efficiency of steam. It enabled the steam engine to be used for a
greater range of purpose than just pumping water.
Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), Italian physicist, credited with inventing the
battery. Volta invented the first electrochemical battery cell. It used zinc, copper
and an electrolyte, such as sulphuric acid and water.
Charles Babbage (1791–1871) English mathematician and inventor. Babbage
created the first mechanical computer, which proved to be the prototype for
future computers. Considered to be the ‘Father of Computers,’ despite not
finishing a working model.

3. Michael Faraday (1791–1867) English scientist who helped
convert electricity into a format that could be easily used. Faraday discovered
benzene and also invented an early form of the Bunsen burner.
Samuel Morse (1791–1872) American inventor Morse used principles of
Jackson’s electromagnet to develop a single telegraph wire. He also invented
Morse code, a method of communicating via telegraph.
Louis Braille (1809–1852) French inventor. Louis Braille was blinded in a
childhood accident. He developed the Braille system of reading for the blind. He
also developed a musical Braille, for reading music scores.
Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1812–1878) Scottish inventor of the
pedal bicycle. Kirkpatrick’s contribution was to make a rear wheel driven bicycle

4. through the use of a chain, giving the basic design for the bicycle as we know it
today.
James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) Scottish physicist and inventor. Maxwell
invented the first process for producing colour photography. Maxwell was also
considered one of the greatest physicists of the millennium.
Karl Benz (1844–1929), German inventor and
businessman. Benz developed the petrol-powered car. In 1879, Benz received his
first patent for a petrol-powered internal combustion engine, which made an
automobile car practical. Benz also became a successful manufacturer.
Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American inventor who filed
over 1,000 patents. He developed and innovated a wide range of products from
the electric light bulb to the phonograph and motion picture camera. One of the
greatest inventors of all time.

5. Alexander Bell (1847–1922) Scottish scientist credited
with inventing the first practical telephone. Also worked on optical
telecommunications, aeronautics and hydrofoils.
Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) American Physicist who
invented fluorescent lighting, the Tesla coil, the induction motor, 3-phase
electricity and AC electricity.
Rudolf Diesel (1858–1913), German inventor of the Diesel engine. Diesel
sought to build an engine which had much greater efficiency. This led him to
develop a diesel-powered combustion engine.

6. Marie Curie (1867–1934) Polish-born French chemist and physicist. Curie
discovered Radium and helped make use of radiation and X-rays
The Wright Brothers (1871–1948) American inventors
who successfully designed, built and flew the first powered aircraft in 1903.
Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), Scottish scientist. Fleming discovered the
antibiotic penicillin by accident from the mould Penicillium Notatum in 1928

7. John Logie Baird (1888–1946) Scottish inventor who invented the television
and the first recording device.
Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) Italian scientist who developed
the nuclear reactor. Fermi made important discoveries in induced radioactivity.
He is considered the inventor of the nuclear reactor.
J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967), United States – Atomic bomb.
Oppenheimer was in charge of the Manhattan project which led to the creation of
the first atomic bomb, later dropped in Japan. He later campaigned against his
own invention.

8. Tim Berners-Lee (1955– ) British computer scientist. Tim Berners-Lee is
credited with inventing the World Wide Web, which enabled the internet to
display websites viewable on internet browsers. He developed the http://protocol
for the internet and made the world wide web freely available.
Steve Jobs (1955–2011) American entrepreneur and developer.
Jobs helped revolutionise personal computer devices with the iPod, iPad,
Macbook and iPhone. He is credited with inventing the new wave of hand-held
personal computer devices.
Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) English scientist. Darwin developed the theory
of evolution against a backdrop of disbelief and scepticism. Collected evidence
over 20 years, and published conclusions in On the Origin of Species (1859).

9. Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895) French biologist. Contributed
substantially towards the advancement of medical sciences developing cures for
rabies, anthrax and other infectious diseases. Also enabled the process of
pasteurisation to make milk safer to drink.
Gregor Mendel (1822 – 1884) German scientist and Augustinian Friar. Mendel
is considered the founder of modern genetics for his discoveries about plant
breeding and rules of heredity.
Alfred Nobel (1833 – 1896) Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and
armaments manufacturer. Nobel invented dynamite and held 350 other patents,
including for a gas meter. Perhaps most famous for his legacy of Nobel awards.

10. Dmitri Mendeleev (1834 – 1907) Russian Chemist.
Formulated the Periodic Law and standardised the Periodic Table of Elements
which is still used today. Mendeleev wrote Principles of Chemistry (1868–1870)
a classic textbook for many decades.
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) German/US physicist.
Einstein revolutionised modern physics with his general theory of relativity. Won
Nobel Prize in Physics (1921) for his discovery of the Photoelectric effect, which
formed the basis of Quantum Theory.
Otto Hahn (1879-1968) – German chemist who discovered nuclear fission
(1939). Pioneering scientist in the field of radiochemistry. Discovered radio-
active elements and nuclear isomerism (1921). Awarded Nobel Prize in
Chemistry. (1944)

11. Sri Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858 – 1937) Bengali / Indian polymath. Bose
took an interest in a wide range of sciences. He made contributions to plant
physiology, microwave optics and radio waves.
Niels Bohr (1885 – 1962) Danish physicist. Bohr developed
a structure of the atom, recognising electrons revolving around a stable nucleus.
His work was important for atomic structure and quantum physics. Awarded
Nobel Prize for Physics 1922.
Satyendra Nath Bose (1894 – 1974) Indian physicist who worked on quantum
mechanics. Collaborated with Albert Einstein to found Bose-Einstein statistics
and Bose-Einstein condensate.

12. James Watson (1928 – ) American molecular biologist, geneticist and
zoologist, with Francis Crick discovered DNA. Was awarded the Nobel Prize in
1962
Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018) English theoretical
physicist, cosmologist. Hawking has authored The Theory of Everything, and A
Brief History of Time.
Sir Chandrashekhar Venkata Raman (November 7, 1888 -
November 21, 1970)
Discovered the change in the wavelength -- and thus the color -- of light traveling
through a transparent medium, a phenomenon later named after him -- the
Raman effect.

13. Carl Linnaeus (May 12, 1707 - January 10, 1778)
Formed the taxonomical system of binomial nomenclature, wherein the name of
the genus is followed by the name of the species. For instance, human beings are
termed as Homo sapiens, wherein Homo is the genus and sapiens is the species.
Aryabhata (476 AD - 550 AD)
Approximated the value of pi to 3.1416 -- 5 significant figures (4 decimal places),
and was possibly the first to note the irrationality of pi. Aryabhata also did
commendable work in trigonometry, creating one of the earliest trigonometric
tables (later found to be accurate), and astronomy, discovering the daily rotation
of the earth.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (October 24, 1632 -
August 26, 1723)
Invented the microscope. Leeuwenhoek is also considered as the first
microbiologist in the world and the father of microbiology.

14. . Homi Jahangir Bhabha was a nuclear physicist who laid the
foundation for nuclear research in India. Often hailed as the “father of Indian
nuclear programme’,
, Vikram Sarabhai was Fondly called the Father of the
Indian Space program
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was an Indian-
American astrophysicist best known for his work on the theoretical structure
and evolution of stars.

15. Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician whose
contributions to the theory of numbers include pioneering discoveries of the
properties of the partition function.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Indian scientist and politician who
played a leading role in the development of India’s missile and nuclear
weapons programs. He was president of India from 2002 to 2007.