Science in History
Explore 207 historical moments related to science — from pivotal breakthroughs to world-changing events.
📅 15th Century(1)
📅 16th Century(2)
Columbus uses lunar eclipse to influence Jamaican villagers
Christopher Columbus predicts a lunar eclipse while stranded in Jamaica, using it to persuade local inhabitants to continue supplying his crew.
Gregorian calendar is introduced in parts of Europe
Catholic countries begin adopting the Gregorian calendar reform, reshaping civil timekeeping in much of the world.
📅 17th Century(2)
Galileo observes four major moons of Jupiter
Galileo Galilei records observations of Jupiter's largest moons, a discovery that strengthens the case for heliocentric astronomy.
Isaac Newton born
English mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton is born in Woolsthorpe. His work lays the foundations of classical mechanics.
📅 18th Century(2)
Hot-air balloon crosses the English Channel
Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries complete the first successful balloon crossing of the English Channel.
Antoine Lavoisier is executed
French chemist Antoine Lavoisier is executed during the Reign of Terror, ending the life of one of the founders of modern chemistry.
📅 19th Century(5)
Charles Darwin born
English naturalist Charles Darwin is born in Shrewsbury. His theory of evolution fundamentally changed biology.
Charles Darwin
English naturalist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.
Louis Daguerre is thought to photograph the Moon
French photography pioneer Louis Daguerre is believed to have taken one of the first photographs of the Moon, an early milestone in photographic history.
Albert Einstein Born
Albert Einstein, one of the most influential physicists of all time, is born. He developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics.
Albert Einstein
German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics.
📅 20th Century(68)
First successful airplane flight
The Wright brothers achieved the first sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft.
Insulin becomes widely available for diabetics
Commercial production of insulin expands, marking a turning point in the treatment of diabetes during the early 1920s.
Noam Chomsky born
American linguist and intellectual Noam Chomsky is born in Philadelphia. He revolutionizes the field of linguistics.
Guglielmo Marconi dies
Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, pioneer of long-distance radio transmission, dies in Rome at age 63.
Einstein-Szilard letter
Leo Szilard penned a letter, signed by Albert Einstein and addressed to President Roosevelt, warning of Germany's potential development of atomic bombs.
Atomic bombing of Hiroshima
The United States drops the atomic bomb 'Little Boy' on Hiroshima, Japan, killing an estimated 80,000 people instantly.
Manchester Baby Runs First Program
The Manchester Baby, the world's first stored-program computer, successfully ran its first program.
Klaus Fuchs convicted
German-British physicist Klaus Fuchs was convicted of supplying information from the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union.
Jonas Salk announces polio vaccine
American virologist Jonas Salk announces that he has successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis on a small group of children.
Meteorite Injury in Sylacauga, Alabama
A meteorite crashed through a roof in Sylacauga, Alabama, and hit a sleeping woman. This was the first verified case of a human being injured by an extraterrestrial object.
Sputnik 1 is launched
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beginning the Space Age.
Sputnik 2 launched with Laika
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying the space dog Laika. This marked the first living creature to enter orbit around Earth.
Richard Feynman's Nanotechnology Speech
American physicist Richard Feynman gave a speech entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" at Caltech. The speech is considered a precursor to the field of nanotechnology.
Carl Jung dies
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology, dies at age 85 in Küsnacht, Switzerland.
First Human in Space
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to journey into outer space. He completed one orbit of Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
First LED Demonstration
Nick Holonyak, an engineer for General Electric, gave the first public demonstration of a light-emitting diode.
First Woman in Space
Aboard Vostok 6, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963.
First Cat in Space
The first cat in space, later known as Félicette, was launched aboard a French Véronique rocket. This mission was part of France's early space program.
First Human Cryopreservation
Seventy-three-year-old psychology professor James Bedford became the first person to be cryonically preserved. The preservation was done with the intent of future resuscitation.
Venera 4 Analyzes Venus
The Soviet space probe Venera 4 became the first spacecraft to perform direct in situ analysis of the environment of another planet. It transmitted data from Venus's atmosphere.
Discovery of Pulsar PSR B1919+21
Jocelyn Bell Burnell noticed unusual data from a radio telescope on November 28, 1967, which led to the discovery of the first known pulsar, PSR B1919+21.
Apollo 11 Moon landing
NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon, fulfilling President Kennedy's vision.
Venera 7 lands on Venus
The Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 touched down on the surface of Venus. This marked the first successful landing of a spacecraft on another planet.
Prospero, the first British satellite, launched
Prospero, the first British satellite launched on a British rocket, lifted off from Launch Area 5B in Woomera, South Australia.
President Nixon announces the space shuttle program
U.S. President Richard Nixon approves development of the reusable space shuttle system, shaping NASA's next era of human spaceflight.
Apollo 17 launches
Apollo 17 launches from Kennedy Space Center, becoming the last crewed mission to the Moon in the 20th century.
Peking Man fossils discovered
Fossils of Peking Man, an early human ancestor, were discovered near Beijing, China.
Launch of Aryabhata Satellite
India's first satellite, Aryabhata, was launched on April 18, 1975. The launch took place from Kapustin Yar in the Soviet Union.
Viking 1 lands on Mars
NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft becomes the first successful mission to land on Mars and operate on its surface, returning images and scientific data.
Uranus ring system discovered
Astronomers using NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory discovered a faint ring system around Uranus.
Wow! Signal Received
The Big Ear radio telescope at Ohio State University received a strong, apparently extraterrestrial radio signal known as the Wow! signal.
NASA launches Voyager 1
NASA launched the space probe Voyager 1, currently the farthest spacecraft from Earth. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Death of Kurt Gödel
Austrian logician Kurt Gödel died of starvation after his wife, who he feared would poison him, was hospitalized.
First Non-US/Soviet Cosmonaut in Space
As a cosmonaut on Soyuz 28, Vladimír Remek became the first person from outside the Soviet Union or the United States to go into space.
Volcanoes on Io Confirmed
Images taken by Voyager 1 on March 8, 1979, proved the existence of volcanoes on Io, a moon of Jupiter.
Tumaco earthquake and tsunami
A magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck just off the shore of Tumaco, Colombia, causing at least 300 deaths, mostly by the resulting tsunami.
First flight of F-117 Nighthawk
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational aircraft designed for stealth technology, made its maiden flight.
Pioneer 10 Leaves Planetary Proximity
Pioneer 10 passed the orbit of Neptune, becoming the first man-made object to venture beyond the proximity of the major planets in the Solar System.
Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space
Aboard Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman and third person overall in space.
Space Shuttle Discovery Maiden Voyage
Discovery, the third orbiter of NASA's Space Shuttle program, lifted off on its maiden voyage from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
First American woman space walk
Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American woman to perform a space walk.
Hurricane Elena Makes Landfall
Hurricane Elena, an unpredictable and damaging tropical cyclone, made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi, as a Category 3 major hurricane.
Windows 1.0 Released
Microsoft released Windows 1.0, the first public version of its graphical operating environment, on November 20, 1985. This marked a significant step in the development of personal computing.
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant suffered a catastrophic accident, leading to widespread radioactive contamination and long-term health and environmental consequences.
Lake Nyos limnic eruption
A limnic eruption of Lake Nyos in Cameroon released a cloud of carbon dioxide, suffocating 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock.
SN 1987A Supernova Observed
SN 1987A, the first supernova studied in detail by modern astronomers, was observed from Earth. It occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Voyager 2 Confirms Neptune's Rings
On August 25, 1989, the NASA spacecraft Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune and provided definitive proof of the planet's rings.
Hubble Space Telescope launch
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-31 mission.
Discovery of 'Sue' the T. rex Skeleton
Near Faith, South Dakota, paleontologist Sue Hendrickson discovered one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons on August 12, 1990. The skeleton was nicknamed 'Sue'.
Discovery of first exoplanets
Radio astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail announced the discovery of two exoplanets orbiting pulsar PSR B1257+12. This marked the first confirmed detection of planets outside our solar system.
Nicaragua Earthquake
An earthquake registering 7.7 Mw off the coast of Nicaragua became the first tsunami earthquake to be captured on modern broadband seismic networks.
Galileo Spacecraft Flies by Asteroid Ida
The NASA spacecraft Galileo passed by the asteroid 243 Ida, capturing the first known images of an asteroid moon.
Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 Impacts Jupiter
Fragments of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 began colliding with the planet Jupiter. The first impact caused a fireball reaching a peak temperature of 24,000 kelvin.
Mir EO-19 Returns to Earth
Mir EO-19, the first expedition to the Russian space station Mir launched on an American Space Shuttle, returned to Earth after approximately 75 days in space.
Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter
The Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter, a little more than six years after it was launched. It was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis during Mission STS-34.
Discovery of Top Quark Announced
Researchers at Fermilab in Illinois announced the discovery of the top quark, the most massive of all observed elementary particles.
Valeri Polyakov Returns from Mir
Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returned from the Mir space station after 437 days. He set a new record for the longest spaceflight in history.
Comet Hale–Bopp discovered
Comet Hale–Bopp, one of the most widely observed comets of the 20th century, was independently discovered by astronomers Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp.
First exoplanet discovered
Astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz reported the discovery of a planet orbiting 51 Pegasi as the first known exoplanet around a main-sequence star.
Copernicium First Created
Researchers at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, successfully created the chemical element copernicium. This marked a significant achievement in scientific discovery.
Mars Global Surveyor Launched
NASA launched the Mars Global Surveyor from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Comet Hale–Bopp Closest Approach
Comet Hale–Bopp reached its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 1.315 AU. This celestial event was a significant astronomical observation.
Maldacena publishes AdS/CFT correspondence paper
Argentinian physicist Juan Maldacena published a landmark paper initiating the study of AdS/CFT correspondence. This work links string theory and quantum gravity.
John Glenn Returns to Space
At 77 years old, former astronaut John Glenn returned to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-95 mission.
World population reaches 6 billion
The United Nations designates October 12, 1999 as the day the world population reaches six billion people.
Fastest Winds Recorded
The fastest winds on Earth were measured at 143.6 m/s (321 mph) in a tornado near Bridge Creek, Oklahoma.
Mars Polar Lander lost by NASA
NASA lost contact with the Mars Polar Lander spacecraft just before it was scheduled to enter Mars' atmosphere. The lander subsequently disappeared, marking a significant loss in space exploration efforts.
Expedition 1 arrives at International Space Station
As members of Expedition 1, American astronaut William Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko became the first resident crew to arrive at the International Space Station.
📅 21th Century(127)
NEAR Shoemaker lands on Eros
The NASA space probe NEAR Shoemaker touched down on Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
2001 Mars Odyssey Launch
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey, the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth, launched from Cape Canaveral.
First exoplanet atmosphere measured
Astronomers announced the detection of sodium in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD 209458 b. This marked the first time an exoplanet atmosphere was measured.
Clonaid claims first human clone
The human-cloning company Clonaid claimed to have performed the first reproductive cloning of a human. However, they provided no evidence to support this assertion.
Discovery of 208996 Achlys
The trans-Neptunian object 208996 Achlys was discovered at Palomar Observatory, California.
Pioneer 10 Final Signal
The final signal was detected from the NASA space probe Pioneer 10, then about 12 billion kilometres from Earth.
Discovery of Sedna
Astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz discovered the trans-Neptunian object Sedna.
Stardust spacecraft collects material from comet Wild 2
NASA's Stardust mission gathers dust grains from comet Wild 2, later providing scientists with valuable evidence about the early solar system.
Spirit Rover Lands on Mars
Spirit, the first of two rovers of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, successfully landed on Mars.
Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity lands on Mars
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landed on Mars and rolled into Eagle crater on the Meridiani Planum.
Dwarf Planet Eris Discovered
The dwarf planet Eris was discovered by a team using images from the Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory.
Corrupted Blood Incident
A software bug caused a simulated pandemic in the online video game World of Warcraft, serving as a model for epidemiologists to understand how human interaction influences disease outbreaks.
Discovery of Pluto's Moons Nix and Hydra Announced
The discovery of the Plutonian moons Nix and Hydra was announced, based on Hubble Space Telescope photographs.
Discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb
Three independent observing campaigns announced the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, a super-Earth exoplanet. It is located 21,500 ± 3,300 light-years away from Earth near the center of the Milky Way.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enters orbit
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reached and entered orbit around Mars.
An Inconvenient Truth released
The documentary film 'An Inconvenient Truth,' which raised global awareness of climate change and energized the environmental movement, was released.
Grigori Perelman awarded Fields Medal
Grigori Perelman was awarded the Fields Medal for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture but refused to accept it.
Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planet
The International Astronomical Union passed a resolution redefining the term planet. Pluto was subsequently classified as a dwarf planet.
Comet McNaught Reaches Perihelion
Comet McNaught reached perihelion, becoming the brightest comet in over 40 years. It had an apparent magnitude of −5.5.
Niigata Earthquake and Nuclear Leak
An earthquake of magnitude Mw6.6 struck Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It caused a leak of radioactive gases from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant.
GRB 080319B Observed
The gamma-ray burst GRB 080319B, the farthest object from Earth that was observable by the naked eye, was observed.
Farthest Naked-Eye Event Observed
The gamma-ray burst GRB 080319B was observed, setting a record for the farthest event from Earth observable with the naked eye.
Chaitén volcano eruption
The Chaitén volcano in Chile began to erupt on May 2, 2008. This was its first eruption since approximately 1640.
MESSENGER discovers Rembrandt crater on Mercury
The MESSENGER probe discovered Mercury's Rembrandt crater, the second largest impact crater on the planet.
2008 TC3 Asteroid Impact
2008 TC3 exploded above the Nubian Desert in Sudan, the first time an asteroid impact was predicted prior to atmospheric entry.
GRB 090423 Detected
The gamma-ray burst GRB 090423 was detected coming from the most distant astronomical object of any kind known at the time.
Kepler Space Telescope Launched
The Kepler space telescope, designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars, was launched.
Climatic Research Unit hacking
Servers at the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit were hacked, and thousands of emails and files on climate change were stolen.
Assassination of Massoud Ali-Mohammadi
Iranian physicist Massoud Ali-Mohammadi was assassinated while leaving his home for the University of Tehran. He was a professor at the university.
Neanderthal Genome Draft Published
A draft sequence of the Neanderthal genome was published. It demonstrated that modern humans have Neanderthal ancestors.
IKAROS Spacecraft Flies by Venus
The Japanese spacecraft IKAROS successfully flew by Venus, demonstrating solar-sail technology. The mission objective was met.
Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
A magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Japan triggers a devastating tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Hottest white dwarf documented
Astronomers documented H1504+65, a white dwarf with the hottest known surface temperature of 200,000 kelvins, on January 27, 2011.
NASA launches Juno probe
NASA launched the Juno probe to Jupiter as part of the New Frontiers program. The spacecraft is designed to study Jupiter's composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere.
Mars Science Laboratory Launch
NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory mission from Cape Canaveral, carrying the Curiosity rover on board.
Felix Baumgartner's Stratospheric Jump
Felix Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power by jumping from the stratosphere.
First Chinese Woman in Space
Liu Yang, a member of the Shenzhou 9 crew, became the first Chinese woman in space on June 16, 2012.
Voyager 1 Enters Interstellar Space
On August 25, 2012, the NASA space probe Voyager 1 became the first man-made object to enter interstellar space.
Chelyabinsk Meteor Explosion
A meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, producing a shock wave that injured about 1,500 people.
IAU names Pluto moons
The International Astronomical Union announced that the fourth and fifth moons of Pluto to be discovered would be named Kerberos and Styx, respectively.
Aceh earthquake
A Mw 6.1 strike-slip earthquake in the Indonesian province of Aceh killed at least 35 people and injured 276 others.
Cassini's "Wave at Saturn"
The NASA spacecraft Cassini took a photograph of Saturn with Earth in the distance, inviting people to "wave at Saturn".
ISRO launches Mars Orbiter Mission
The Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Mars Orbiter Mission, India's first interplanetary probe.
Gaia spacecraft launched
The European Space Agency's spacecraft Gaia was launched with the goal of constructing the largest and most precise star catalogue ever made.
Happisburgh Footprints Discovery
Researchers announced the discovery of the Happisburgh footprints in Norfolk, England, the oldest known hominid footprints outside Africa.
NASA discovers Kepler-186f
NASA announced the discovery of Kepler-186f, the first exoplanet with a radius similar to Earth's discovered in the habitable zone of another star.
MAVEN enters Mars orbit
The NASA spacecraft MAVEN entered into orbit around Mars to study the planet's atmosphere.
Philae lands on comet
The European Space Agency's lander Philae touched down on 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. It became the first spacecraft to land on a comet.
Akatsuki enters orbit around Venus
The JAXA space probe Akatsuki entered into orbit around Venus to study the planet's atmosphere. This occurred five years after its first attempt failed.
Leo Kadanoff
Leo Kadanoff was an American physicist and academic.
Sheppard Frere
Sheppard Frere was an English historian and archaeologist.
Norman Farberow
American psychologist and academic. He was born in 1918.
First observation of gravitational waves
Physicists of the LIGO and Virgo projects first observed gravitational waves on September 14, 2015. Their existence was predicted by Henri Poincaré in 1905.
Eudóxia Maria Froehlich
Eudóxia Maria Froehlich was a Brazilian zoologist known for her research on freshwater mollusks.
Gene Amdahl
Gene Amdahl, an American computer scientist, physicist, and engineer, founded the Amdahl Corporation. He was born in 1922.
Richard Levins
American ecologist and geneticist, born in 1930.
Lloyd Shapley
Lloyd Shapley was an American mathematician and economist, and a Nobel Prize laureate.
Bill Mollison
Bill Mollison was an Australian researcher, author, and biologist.
Toughie
Toughie was the last known Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog, a species native to Ecuador.
Naming Ceremony for New Elements
A naming ceremony for the chemical elements moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson took place at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
Mark Wainberg
Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist Mark Wainberg died on April 11, 2017. He was born in 1945.
ʻOumuamua discovered
Canadian astronomer Robert Weryk discovered ʻOumuamua, the first known interstellar object detected passing through the Solar System.
Peter Nicholls
Peter Nicholls was an Australian science fiction critic and encyclopedist.
Jens Christian Skou
Jens Christian Skou was a Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate.
Koko the Gorilla
Koko, a western lowland gorilla famous for her ability to use American Sign Language, has died at the age of 46.
Hayabusa2 arrives at asteroid Ryugu
The Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 arrived at the asteroid Ryugu to collect samples for return to Earth.
Charles Kuen Kao
Charles Kuen Kao, a Hong Kong-American-British electrical engineer and physicist, died on September 23, 2018. He was born in 1933.
Stephen Hillenburg
Stephen Hillenburg was an American animator, voice actor, and marine science educator.
New Horizons flies by Arrokoth
The NASA space probe New Horizons flew by the trans-Neptunian object Arrokoth. This made it the farthest object ever visited by a spacecraft.
Michael Atiyah
British-Lebanese mathematician Michael Atiyah died at the age of 89. He was born in 1929.
Sydney Brenner
Sydney Brenner was a South African biologist and Nobel Prize laureate.
First image of a black hole released
Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project released the first image of the black hole at the center of the galaxy M87 on April 10, 2019.
Geert Hofstede
Geert Hofstede was a Dutch social psychologist.
Freeman Dyson dies
British-American theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson dies at age 96 in Princeton, New Jersey.
Otto Hutter
Otto Hutter was an Austrian-born British physiologist.
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson was an American physicist and mathematician.
Alfred Worden
American test pilot, engineer, and astronaut who flew on the Apollo 15 mission.
John Horton Conway
English mathematician John Horton Conway died on April 11, 2020. He was born in 1937.
Guido Münch
Guido Münch, a Mexican astronomer and astrophysicist, died on April 29, 2020. He was born in 1921.
Ángela Jeria
Ángela Jeria, a Chilean archaeologist and human rights activist, died.
Angelika Amon
Angelika Amon was an Austrian-American molecular and cell biologist.
Peter Florjancic
Peter Florjancic was a Slovene inventor and Olympic athlete.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh assassinated
Nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, regarded as the chief of Iran's nuclear program, was assassinated. He was allegedly targeted by Mossad.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian nuclear scientist, died on November 27, 2020. He was born in 1958.
Pedro Trebbau
Pedro Trebbau was a German-born Venezuelan zoologist.
Nunuk Nuraini
Indonesian food scientist (born 1961) died on January 27, 2021.
Lou Ottens
Lou Ottens was a Dutch engineer and inventor, known for developing the cassette tape.
Glynn Lunney
Glynn Lunney, American engineer, died.
Michael Collins
Michael Collins was an American astronaut and U.S. Air Force pilot, notable for his role in the Gemini and Apollo programs, including commanding Apollo 11.
Oliver Gillie
Oliver Gillie, a British journalist and scientist, has died. He was born in 1937.
Abdul Qadeer Khan
Abdul Qadeer Khan was a Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgist, often credited as the 'father' of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.
Grichka Bogdanoff
French television presenter and scientific essayist.
Maarten Schmidt
Maarten Schmidt, Dutch astronomer, died on September 17, 2022. He was born in 1929.
Yves Coppens
Yves Coppens was a French anthropologist.
Frank Drake
Frank Drake was an American radio astronomer and astrophysicist, born in 1930.
Pal Singh Purewal
Pal Singh Purewal was a Punjabi engineer, author, scholar, and teacher. He was born in 1931 or 1932.
Kathleen Booth
Kathleen Booth, a British computer scientist and mathematician, has died.
Jacob Ziv
Jacob Ziv was an Israeli electrical engineer who developed the LZ family of compression algorithms.
Harry Markowitz
Harry Markowitz was an American Nobel laureate economist.
Ian Wilmut
British embryologist. He was born in 1944.
James Bjorken
James Bjorken was an American theoretical physicist known for his work on deep inelastic scattering.
Jim Simons
Jim Simons was an American hedge fund manager, mathematician, and philanthropist.
Philip Zimbardo
Philip Zimbardo was an American psychologist and academic.
Allen J. Bard
Allen J. Bard, an American chemist, died on February 11, 2024. He was born in 1933.
Thomas P. Stafford
American Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut.
Daniel Kahneman
Daniel Kahneman was an Israeli-American author, psychologist, and economist, and a Nobel Prize laureate.
Peter Higgs
British physicist and Nobel Prize laureate.
Death of Bengt I. Samuelsson
Bengt I. Samuelsson was a Swedish biochemist and academic, and a Nobel Prize laureate.
Death of Diana Hill
Diana Hill, a New Zealand biochemist, died.
Mary Gibby
Mary Gibby, a British botanist and professor, has died. She was born in 1949.
Robin Warren
Robin Warren was an Australian pathologist and academic who shared the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on Helicobacter pylori.
Tsung-Dao Lee
Tsung-Dao Lee was a Chinese-American physicist and academic who won the Nobel Prize.
Radha Charan Gupta
Radha Charan Gupta, an Indian historian of mathematics, has died. He was born in 1935.
Roy Clay
Roy Clay was an American computer scientist. He was born in 1929.
Andrew Schally
Andrew Schally was a Polish-American endocrinologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Thomas E. Kurtz
Thomas E. Kurtz was an American computer scientist and educator.
Jacques Roubaud
Jacques Roubaud, French poet, writer, and mathematician, has died. He was born in 1932.
Ana Gligić
Serbian virologist Ana Gligić died.
John D. Petersen
American chemist, educator, and academic administrator (born 1947).
Jane Goodall
English primatologist.
Kanzi
Bonobo known for his ability to understand and use English.
Betty Webb
Death of Betty Webb, an English code breaker (born 1923).
Étienne-Émile Baulieu
Étienne-Émile Baulieu was a French biochemist and endocrinologist.
Tom Lehrer
Tom Lehrer, American singer, comedian, and mathematician, has died. He was born in 1928.
Mark Norell
Death of Mark Norell, an American vertebrate paleontologist. He was born in 1957.
Yang Chen-Ning
Yang Chen-Ning was a Chinese theoretical physicist.
James Watson
American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the most important science events in history?
- Notable science events include: Leonardo da Vinci born (1452), Columbus uses lunar eclipse to influence Jamaican villagers (1504), Gregorian calendar is introduced in parts of Europe (1582).
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- Our collection includes 207 historical entries related to science, spanning centuries of human history.
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