Typically, we remember our greatest scientists from one single invention, one new formula or one incredible breakthrough. This narrow perspective does not give justice to the versatility of many scientists who also earned a reputation in other areas of science. James Watt, for instance, is known for inventing the steam engine, yet most people do not know that he also invented the copier. Alexander Graham Bell of course invented the telephone, but only few know that he invented artificial breathing equipment, a prototype of the 'iron lung'. Edmond Halley, whose name is associated with the comet that visits Earth every 75 years, produced the first mortality tables, used for life insurances. This entertaining book is aimed at anyone who enjoys reading about inventions and discoveries by the most creative minds. Detailed illustrations of the forgotten designs and ideas enrich the work throughout.

Auteur
Since 2005, René Schils has been a freelance science writer and in the past five years has written nearly twenty articles on this topic for the Dutch science magazine 'Natuurwetenschap en Techniek'. Subsequently, these articles were used as the basis for this book. Currently, René writes popular science articles on varying topics for several science magazines, which can be viewed at the author's website www.reneschils.nl.

Contenu
Johannes Kepler: Keplers laws Snow crystals.- Robert Hooke: Hooke's law Surveyor and architect.- Edmond Halley: Comet Mortality tables.- Daniel Bernoulli: Bernoulli's principle Utility function.- Benjamin Franklin: Electricity Gulfstream.- Joseph Priestley: Oxygen Carbonated water.- James Watt: Steam engine Copier.- Edward Jenner: Pox vaccine Cuckoo's nest.- John Dalton: Atomic theory Colour blindness.- Thomas Young: Light Rosetta Stone.- Justus von Liebig: Fertilizer Stock.- Charles Darwin: Evolution Earthworms.- William Thomson: Absolute temperature Transatlantic cable.- James Clerk Maxwell : Maxwell equations Colour photo.- Alexander Graham Bell: Telephone Artificial resuscitation.- Hendrik Antoon Lorentz: Electron theory Enclosing dyke.- Svante Arrhenius: Ionic theory Global warming.- Pierre Curie: Radioactivity Piezo-electricity.- Walther Nernst : Thermodynamics Neo-Bechstein piano.- Albert Einstein: Relativity Refrigerator.- Harlow Shapley: Center of the Milky Way Ants.- Erwin Schrödinger: Wave equation What is life?.- Enrico Fermi: Nuclear reaction Fermi's paradox.- Rosalind Franklin: DNA Carbon.- George Gamow: Big Bang Genetic code.