Born in 1879, in Württemberg, Germany, Einstein was fascinated with theoretical physics. His commitment to the science led him across the globe, from Germany to Switzerland to the United States. One of his major contributions to the scientific community was the general theory of relativity. In 1921, Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics. Stephen Hawking is a famous theoretical physicist who has contributed to science in various ways, especially by building upon the general theory of relativity and attempting to unify it with quantum theory. Isaac Newton, who developed theories on gravity and motion, and Julius Robert Oppenheimer, who aided in the development of the atomic bomb, are further examples of famous physicists.
Marie Curie developed the theory of radioactivity and discovered two new elements, which she named radium and polonium. Curie received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911. Afterward, she helped establish the Curie Institute, a facility dedicated to putting scientific research to medical use. Other famous chemists include John Dalton, who explored the issue of color blindness, Louis Pasteur, who developed the pasteurization process and Emil Fisher, who identified purines such as caffeine and guanine.
Charles Darwin was a famous naturalist whose theory of natural selection aided in the development of the field of evolutionary biology. His book, "On the Origin of the Species," sparked much debate and faced heavy opposition. Marry Anning was a famous paleontologist who uncovered the fossils of an ichthyosaur and plesiosaur, ancient marine creatures. Other famous biologists include Werner Arber, whose work aided in advancements in recombinant DNA technology, Georges Cuvier, who founded vertebrate paleontology, and Erwin Chargaff, whose work lead to the discovery of DNA's double helix structure.
Nicolaus Copernicus was a famous astronomer who proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system, placing the planets in orbit around the sun. With an interest in mechanical devices, Galileo Galilei improved upon the telescope, which he used to support Copernican theory. Unhappy with Galileo's words against the geocentric model, which placed the earth in the center of the universe, the Roman Catholic Inquisition sentenced him to house arrest for heresy. Other famous astronomers include Charles Messier, who discovered 19 comets, and Johannes Kepler, who developed the laws of planetary motion.