35 Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times

(Last Updated On: April 16, 2021)

Physics Scientists and engineers of all times are great contributors to human civilization. Physics was famous for Scientists and engineers, where Physics of Scientists and engineers was a hub of many talented people. This article will be sharing some great personalities as Physics Scientists and engineers of all times.

Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times

1. Anaximander

Lived c. 610 BC – c. 546 B.C.

The world of science began from time immemorial. Anaximander is responsible for the idea that nothing is needed underneath it to support the world.

He says that the earth is floating in the center of infinity, holding the position because it is equal distance from all other parts of the universe.

In doing so, he transformed the way we think about our planet, and at the same time introduced the concept of interesting energy between the constellations of the earth and the planet and the sky.

2. Carl Popper

Carl Popper “In my view, this notion of Anaximander is the boldest, most revolutionary and most significant idea in the entire history of human thought.”

Carl Popper was one of the great Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times with his so many contributions.

3. Archimedes

c. 287 B.C. – 212 B.C.

Some of the past of the invention was the golden era for the entire civilization. One of the greatest scientists of ancient times, Archimedes pushed mathematics, physics, and engineering to new heights.

He developed the physics of mechanics and hydrostatics, invented the laws of lever and pulley, and discovered one of the most important concepts in physics – the center of gravity.

He applied advanced mathematics to the physical world, and his surviving works inspired both Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton to investigate the laws of motion.
Galileo Galilei

4. Galileo Galilei

1564 – 1642.

Curiosity to the universe was in the blood of the human from time immemorial. Galileo is one of the first to study the sky with a telescope. He is the first to discover Jupiter’s four largest moons orbiting another planet.

He discovered that Venus is in the same phase as our moon – the first practical rather than mathematical proof that the sun is at the center of the solar system. He invented the law of pendant.

He discovered that gravity accelerates everything equally regardless of mass, and the acceleration of an object by gravity is proportional to the time it has fallen. He described the principle of inclusion – in other words, he invented Newton’s first law of motion.

His discoveries in the field of mechanics dismantled Aristotle’s erroneous physics, which dominated Western thinking for two millennia.
Johannes Kepler

5. Johannes Kepler

1571 – 1630

Johannes Kepler broke the thousand-year astronomical breakthrough and discovered that the heavenly bodies follow the elliptical path.

Kepler’s planetary kinetic law was the only major breakthrough in our understanding of the universe. Kepler’s third law enabled Isaac Newton to establish the square law of gravity opposite.

Kepler himself invented the inverse square law of the intensity of light. He has discovered that our eyes reverse images and our brains modify images. He was the first to prove that logarithms work, allowing physicists to use these basic tools for anxiety-free.

6. Isaac Newton

1643 – 1727

Isaac Newton invented calculus, the mathematics of change, without which we would not understand the behavior of matter as small as an electron or larger than a galaxy. His most famous work, Principia, is one of the most important scientific books ever written.

In Principia Newton used mathematics to explain gravity and motion. Initially, few understood Newton’s new physics. As Newton passed by them one day, one student commented to another:

“There is a guy who wrote a book that he or anyone else doesn’t understand.”

Newton invented the law of universal gravity and proved that an apple fell from a tree around the earth for the same reason as the moon.

He enacted three laws of motion – Newton’s Law – which is at the center of the science of movement. Furthermore, he proved that sunlight is composed of all colors of the rainbow, and he built the world’s first reflection of the telescope.

7. Michael Faraday

1791 – 1867

Michael Faraday, possibly the greatest experimental physicist of all time, changed the magnetic field to create an electric current in a wire, and so invented the electromagnetic induction, through which almost all of today’s electricity forms power plants. Faraday was one of the great Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times.

He invented the electromagnetic rotation – the precursor of electric motors – and he discovered that the property of all elements of diamagnetism is that his laws of electronic analysis are at the center of electronics, which he played a major role in establishing.

He invented the Faraday cage which prevents the loss of electricity inside it and prevents external interference that affects sensitive electronic and electronic tests.

He discovered that magnetism and light are correlated by showing that a magnetic field rotates on a plane of light polarization. He was the first to mix gases, and he discovered the most important chemical compound, benzene.

8. James Clark Maxwell

1831 – 1879

The work of James Clark Maxwell marked the beginning of a new era in physics – he united electric and magnetic forces, showing that they were essentially the same force.

His equations showed that as electric charges accelerate, they travel at the speed of light, releasing waves of electromagnetism, the light itself being an electromagnetic phenomenon – in doing so, he integrated electricity, magnetism, and optics.

His kinetic theory of gas accurately explained the source of temperature, and he introduced the theory of probability into very little physics, which is essential today.

He is the first person to take colorful pictures; And, the Voyager spacecraft confirmed that he was exactly right 100 years before he explained the behavior of the Saturday rings.

9. Ernest Rutherford

1871 – 1937 survived.

Ernest Rutherford is the father of nuclear chemistry and nuclear physics. He invented and named the nuclear nucleus, proton, alpha particle, beta particle, and predicted the existence of neutrons.

He invented the concept of nuclear half-life and transformed the element of one into another deliberately the first, which met the alchemists’ ancient obsession.

A handful of young scientists, including James Chadwick, Cecil Powell, Niels Bohr, Otto Hahn, Frederick Soddy, John Cockcroft, Ernest Walton, and Edward Appleton, have won Nobel Prizes while working with him. Rutherford was one of the great Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times.

10. Albert Einstein

1879 – 1955

Albert Einstein rewrote the laws of nature. He completely changed the way he understood the behavior of things as basic as light, gravity, space, and time.

He established that with light regardless of its own speed, it measures 300 million meters of light per second at zero.

This leads to amazing new realities that time travels very slowly for travelers at very high speeds, rather than people moving more slowly. So space and time are actually integrated into a single event in space.

He invented the iconic equation, E = MC2, which shows that energy and matter can be transformed into one another.

He rewrote Newton’s law of gravity, which has been obsolete. In his general theoretical relativity, Einstein showed that matter turns space and time into what we call gravity.

He showed that the path of light follows a gravitational bend, And he showed that gravity moves more slowly as it becomes stronger.

He also demonstrated the effects of fluorescence and established that light can behave both in waves and in particles.

11. Niels Bohr

1885 – 1962

Niels Bohr completely transformed our view of the atom and the world. Classical physics catastrophically fail when things are at least the size or size of the atom, he re-creates the atom so that the electrons serve the ‘allowed’ orbit around the nucleus, but all other orbits are forbidden.

In doing so, he established quantum mechanics. Later interpretations of quantum mechanics as Copenhagen’s leading architects helped shape our understanding of how nature operates at the atomic-scale.

12. Warner Heisenberg

1901 – 1976

Warner Heisenberg played an important role in the formation of matrix mechanics in the creation of quantum mechanics, establishing that the behavior of particles of atomic size is very different from that of larger objects, sometimes with bizarre consequences.

Although Albert Einstein did not like it, Heisenberg showed that God Shaver consistently plays dice with the universe.

Heisenberg’s principle of uncertainty establishes that particles have properties that are both not known precisely. For example, if you know the position of a particle with high accuracy, you cannot know its speed with high precision – there is always a level of uncertainty.

13. Erwin Schrdinger

1887 – 1961

Erwin Schrdinger established the wave mechanical formula of quantum mechanics which, in contrast to the formation of the Warner Heisenberg matrix, allowed for some visualization. Schrdinger portrays the electron as a wave, dispersed rather than at a particular location.

He showed that his wave and Heisenberg matrix formulas are extremely different but mathematically equivalent.

In his later years, Schrdinger became dissatisfied with quantum mechanics, and Schrdinger was famous for cat thought experiments, where he tried to show the absurdity of Copenhagen’s interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Surprisingly, his favorite book for a physicist was Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species.

While this is not entirely real, genetics and molecular biology had a profound impact on the future. Schrdinger wrote that the gene was an aperiodic crystal – a code script for life.

His book inspired many scientists, including three of the major players – Francis Creek, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins – to discover the structure of DNA.

14. Paul Dirac

1902 – 1984

Paul Derek has completely reshaped quantum mechanics with the wonderful Dirac equation. The Direk equation explained the behavior of the electrons, including traveling at relative speeds, and predicted the existence of antimatter.

Direk was also able to grasp the existence of vacuum polarization, revealing that what we once believed to be empty space is, in fact, unstable with short-lived particle-antiparticle coupling.

Dirac founded Quantum Electrodynamics, which was accounting for the creation and destruction of photons of light in atoms, and his Langarjian formation of quantum mechanics made Richard Feynman’s path integral.

Dyrak showed that the determination of the amount of electric charge naturally occurs when a magnetic monopole is present in the universe. He also developed a prototype string theory.

15. Richard Feynman

1918 – 1988

Richard Feynman developed Dyrak’s Langerian quantum mechanics is a complete, usable manner using path integrals.

From there, he developed the new mathematical language of the Feynman diagram, which made accurate calculations both quantitative and convenient in quantum electrodynamics.

Feynman diagrams are now essential for calculations in quantum field theories, including standard models of particle physics. In 1957, Feynman explained violations of equality in weak nuclear power interactions – a theory known as the Feynman-Gel-Mann Sudan-Marshak theory.

Nanotechnology was Feynman’s creation In 1959, he provided many rooms in Caltech’s Bottom Lecture.

Considered as Feynman’s visionary talk, what can be achieved if scientists can handle individual atoms, among other things. Although Feynman’s vision had little effect at the time, technology has recently taken hold of his ideas.

16. Archimedes

First and foremost, the great Archimedes. Publicly recognized as one of the best of all classical engineers, he has influenced the fields of mathematics, physics, engineering, and astronomy for millennia.

Little is known about the details of his life, but his inventions and discoveries are still well known today. From his screw pumps to the composite pulley system and defense system for his own island Syracuse, Archimedes is truly the greatest engineer.

17. Isambard Kingdom Brunel

I’m a bit biased, even British, but here the Isambard Kingdom Brunel connection is well established.

One of the most knowledgeable and expansive personalities in engineering history and described as an engineering giant of the 19th century.

Brunel’s influence on UK infrastructure is difficult to exaggerate. His memory is also honored by a university named Brunel. One of his greatest achievements was the Great Western Railway, which still operates.

18. Leonardo da Vinci

A great artist, Da Vinci is not satisfied with turning his back on architecture, science, music, math, engineering, and more. His inventions and discoveries at that time were unparalleled to his contemporaries. Some even today seem a bit “magical”.

His inventions include flying machines, armored vehicles, concentrated solar power, additives, and a double hull.

Most of the time there was an alien concept but still prevalent today. Vinchi was one of the great Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times.

19. George Stephenson

Again, another notable Brit entry is pure coincidence, honest. Mr. Stephenson’s son Robert bears the honor of one of the greatest engineers of the nineteenth century.

He is buried in Westminster Abbey. George was also one of the greatest engineers of all time in his own right.

Called “the father of the railroad,” he built the first public inter-city railroad in 1830 between Liverpool and Manchester. The Stephenson Railway Gauge is still widely used around the world.

20. Robert Stephenson

It would be rude not to mention Robert Stephenson since we included his father. Robert based his father’s accomplishments with broad outreach to the UK railway network.

His more notable projects included The Rocket, London and Birmingham Railroad, High-Level Bridge, Royal Border Bridge, Britannia Bridge, and Victoria Bridge (Montreal).

The rocket, though not the first steam locomotive, assembled the first multiple inventions to produce its first most advanced locomotive.

21. Elon Musk

Born in South Africa, Canadian engineer, businessman, and inventor Elon Kasturi is the founder of SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and SolarCity.

His accomplishments are impressive and make him worthy of our list of best engineers. The possibilities of its ambitious projects, once achieved, will be very important for the future of our species.

22. Bert Rutan

Bert Rutan is one of the modern engineers. His aircraft designs have often proven strange but light, powerful, and efficient.

His most notable achievements are Voyager (the first non-stop flying aircraft worldwide) and Spaceship One (the first privately funded spacecraft). Bert is also honored at the National Wind and Space Museum.

23. Fazlur Rahman Khan

British-born in Dhaka, Bangladesh when it was under British rule, Fazlur can claim the title of modern skyscraper father.

The innovation of its tubular design has easily allowed construction for high rise. He was one of the first structural engineers and architects to use CAD. Among his gifts to the American people are the Willis Tower and the John Hancock Center.

24. Nicola Tesla

Mr. Tesla’s achievements are not in doubt. These Serbian-American inventors, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and physicists had to be included in our list. His contribution to the design of modern AC power supply has had a tremendous impact on all humanity.

25. Nicholas Auto

A German-born engineer whose labor-intensive charge has led to the creation of an internal combustion engine.

These are the result of the creation of modern internal combustion engines powered by petroleum gas.

The technology has been one of the most important for humanity, apart from the effects of pollution Nicholas Auto was one of the great Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times.

26. Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer. Babbage is best known for its concept of a programmable computer.

27. George Westinghouse Jr

Westinghouse Jr. was an American entrepreneur and engineer who invented railway air brakes and was a pioneer in the electrical industry.

He received his first patent at the age of 19 at the age of snobbery. He was very creative and we are indebted to him.

28. Thomas Edison

He hs the most numbers of patents in history, 1,093, though some of them are taken from others. Since we mentioned George Westinghouse and Tesla we would neglect not to mention Thomas Alva Edison.

He was an American inventor and businessman, described as one of America’s greatest innovators. Edison created many devices that influenced life around the world.

These include photographs, motion picture cameras, and long-lasting, practical electric light bulbs.

29. Gottlieb Daimler

Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler was an engineer, industrial designer, and now an industrialist born in Shorndorf, Germany. He was a pioneer in the development of internal-combustion engines and automotive.

30. Lee de Forest

DeForest was an American inventor and the pioneer in the development of sound on film recordings used for motion pictures.

Le de Forest was one of the great Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times.

31. Frank Whittle

Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle was credited with the invention of a turbojet engine. He was an English Air Force engineer aviation officer and one of the greatest engineers. Frank Whittle was one of the great Physics Scientists and engineers of All Times.

32. Tommy Flowers

It could be argued that the world would look very different today without the labor of Tommy Flower during WW2.

Colossus, the world’s first programmable electronic computer designed for flowers. This device helped decrypt German messages during the war and ultimately saved countless lives.

33. Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel was a French-born civil engineer and architect.

He graduated from Ecole Centrale Paris and cut his teeth on the French Railway Network. Among his most notable achievements is the work of the Garabit Viaduct and the Statue of Liberty.

The famous Parisian tower is named in honor of his company, who designed and built it. He is also known for being involved in the Panama Canal scandal.

34. Alexander Graham Bell

The Scottish-born scientist, inventor, engineer, and inventor is credited with giving Bell the first practical telephone patent.

He also did important work in communication for the deaf and held more than 5 patents.

35. James Watt

Last, but not least, James Watt is certainly one of the best engineers of all time. He was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who developed Thomas Newcomen’s 1712 Newcomen Steam Engine.

His watt steam engine was fundamental to the change that brought about the Industrial Revolution in both native Great Britain and the world.

The need for people to invent new technologies is as old as humanity itself. The labors and achievements of the following engineers have had a huge impact on the society and world we live in today.

Fineman’s charismatic and fascinating way of talking about physics left a deep impression, which encouraged both scientists and non-scientists to learn more about how our world works.

Here is just a list of 35 scientists and there are many others in the timeline. We are indebted to all of them mentioned there and whom we could not mention here.