Physicists
25 people, across 3 fields.
Albert Einstein 1879–1955Science & MathematicsGerman-American theoretical physicist whose theory of relativity revolutionized modern physics.
Nikola Tesla 1856–1943Technology & InventionSerbian-American inventor who developed alternating current electrical systems and numerous electrical innovations.
J. Robert Oppenheimer 1904–1967Science & MathematicsTheoretical physicist who led the Manhattan Project and became known as the father of the atomic bomb.
Richard Feynman 1918–1988Science & MathematicsTheoretical physicist known for his work in quantum mechanics and his accessible teaching style.
John von Neumann 1903–1957Science & MathematicsHungarian-American mathematician and engineer whose computer architecture remains the basis of modern computing.
Enrico Fermi 1901–1954Science & MathematicsItalian-American physicist who built the first nuclear reactor and won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Sally Ride 1951–2012Exploration, Aviation & SpaceFirst American woman in space and physicist who flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983.
Edward Teller 1908–2003Science & MathematicsPhysicist and advocate of the hydrogen bomb whose work and policy influence shaped Cold War science and defense.
Robert Noyce 1927–1990Technology & InventionCo-inventor of the integrated circuit and co-founder of Intel, earning him the title Mayor of Silicon Valley.
Robert H. Goddard 1882–1945Technology & InventionBuilt and launched the first liquid-fueled rocket and patented foundational rocket propulsion methods.
William Shockley 1910–1989Technology & InventionCo-inventor of the transistor at Bell Labs, earning the Nobel Prize and launching the semiconductor age.
John Bardeen 1908–1991Science & MathematicsOnly person to win two Nobel Prizes in Physics, for the transistor and superconductivity theory.
Jack Kilby 1923–2005Technology & InventionCo-inventor of the integrated circuit, a foundational innovation that made modern electronics possible.
Chien-Shiung Wu 1912–1997Science & MathematicsExperimental physicist whose decisive work on parity violation transformed particle physics and challenged assumptions about natural symmetry.
Steven Weinberg 1933–2021Science & MathematicsTheoretical physicist who unified electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force, earning a Nobel Prize.
Kip Thorne b. 1940Science & MathematicsTheoretical physicist whose work on gravitational waves earned a Nobel Prize and inspired the film Interstellar.
Hans Bethe 1906–2005Science & MathematicsPhysicist who explained stellar energy production and led theoretical work at Los Alamos before becoming a prominent arms-control voice.
Ernest Lawrence 1901–1958Science & MathematicsInvented the cyclotron and built the Berkeley model of large-scale team physics.
Charles Townes 1915–2015Science & MathematicsPhysicist who invented the maser and co-invented the laser, earning a Nobel Prize.
Murray Gell-Mann 1929–2019Science & MathematicsTheoretical physicist who discovered quarks and won the Nobel Prize for his standard model of particle physics.
Josiah Willard Gibbs 1839–1903Science & MathematicsFounded chemical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics through his work on heterogeneous equilibrium at Yale.Chester Carlson 1906–1968Technology & InventionPhysicist who invented xerography, the technology behind the modern photocopier.
Maria Goeppert Mayer 1906–1972Science & MathematicsPhysicist and Nobel laureate who developed the nuclear shell model, a fundamental account of atomic nuclei.
Howard Aiken 1900–1973Engineering & ArchitecturePhysicist and engineer who designed the Harvard Mark I, an early electromechanical computer.
John Atanasoff 1903–1995Technology & InventionPhysicist who built the first electronic digital computer, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer.