Powerpoints for the first chapter of General Science.

1. A Brief History of
Science
33 Key Scientists to Know

2. What is Science?
The accumulation and classification of
observable facts in order to formulate
general laws about the natural world
When true science is employed, great
progress is made. When it is not, and the
reasons why things happen are not
considered important, progress stalls.

3. Imhotep
• 2650 - 2600 B.C.
• Egyptian engineer, architect, and physician
• most Egyptian scientists accumulated knowledge
by trial and error, not through real scientific
discovery - they did not try to understand why
things happened the way they did
• Legend claims he invented papyrus

4. Thales of
Miletus
• circa 625-546 B.C.
• one of the first real scientists, studying many fields
• studied astronomy and predicted a solar eclipse
• believed everything originated from water

5. Anaximander
of Miletus
• circa 610-546 B.C.
• here depicted in Raphael’s School of Athens, next to his
student, Pythagoras
• student of Thales
• studied astronomy, biology, geometry, etc.
• claimed that nature is ruled by laws
• believed to have conducted the first experiment

6. Anaximenes
of Miletus
• circa 585-525 B.C.
• student of Anaximander
• believed that everything was essentially
made of air
• like his teachers, attempted to explain the
natural world

7. Leucippus
(most likely of Miletus)
• circa 500 - 450 B.C.
• built on the ideas of Anaximenes that all
matter was composed of the same
substance
• Father of atomic theory
• “Nothing happens at random, but
everything from reason and by necessity” -
Leucippus’ only surviving quote

8. Democritus
• 460 - 370 B.C.
• more famous student of Leucippus
• most influential pre-socratic
philosopher, studying many fields
• later scientists found evidence to
support his hypotheses about the atom
• Said that atoms were in constant motion

9. Aristotle
• 384-322 B.C.
• son of a doctor, student of Plato, studied
biology extensively
• developed the first classification system
• very important and respected in many fields
• considered the greatest scientist of his time
• reminds us of the importance of evidence over
reputation

10. Archimedes
• 287-212 B.C
• most likely studied in Alexandria under Euclid
(founder of geometry as we know it)
• inventor, mathematician, physicist, father of calculus
• linked math and science, using mathematical
formulas to explain things in nature

11. Ptolemy
• 90 - 168 A.D.
• Prominent, respected scientist in many fields
• Ptolemaic, or geocentric system
• Reminds us of the importance of evidence over
preconceived notions

12. Dark Ages
• Limited progress was made in science and
the arts during this time
• Crumbling trade routes in Rome prevented
the free exchange of ideas
• Rome encouraged practical discoveries and
inventions, but unlike Greece, was
uninterested in the reasons behind them

13. Robert
Grosseteste
• 1170-1253 A.D.
• Served as Bishop in England and professor at
Oxford; demanded that all of his clergy be
literate and receive some training in theology
• Developed the scientific method to explain why
things happened the way they did
• Considered the first modern scientist

14. Dietrich von
Freiberg
• circa 1250-1310 A.D.
• German priest
• Wrote on nearly every branch of theology,
philosophy and natural science
• Best known for explaining why rainbows
appear in the sky

15. Roger Bacon
• 1220-1294
• Lecturer at Oxford and Franciscan friar
• Student of Grosseteste, who is often
mistakenly called the father of the scientific
method
• Advocated for science as a means to
understand the world and God

16. Nicholas
of Cusa
• 1401-1464
• Served as a Cardinal; skilled in theology,
mathematics, philosophy, science and art.
• Described the learned man as one who is
aware of his own ignorance
• First to disagree with Ptolemy’s geocentric
view after studying the planets extensively

17. Nicolaus
Copernicus
• 1473-1543, Poland
• Proposed the heliocentric system, which says that the
sun is at the center, and all of the planets rotate around it
• Spoke 4 languages, and so was able to translate Ptolemy’s
work, which was only available in Greek
• The Church rejected his work, believing that since God
created man, earth must be at the center of everything

18. Andreas
Vesalius
• 1514-1564, Belgian physician
• Showed that the anatomical teachings of Galen,
revered in medical schools, was based upon the
dissections of animals even though they were
meant as a guide to the human body.
• Published most accurate text detailing the internal
structure of the human body

19. Johannes
Kepler
• 1571-1630, Germany
• Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion -
mathematical equations showing the orbits
of the planets
• Gathered the detailed evidence to support
Copernicus’ theory
• Studied astronomy to bring glory to God

20. Galileo Galilei
• 1564-1642, Italy
• Built a telescope with which he gathered more
evidence for the heliocentric system, including
the planets’ reflection of the sun’s light
• Tried for heresy for his research on the
heliocentric system, and recanted
• Used logic, simple terms and math to solve
scientific problems

21. Blaise Pascal
• 1623-1662, France
• Made advances in geometry at 13
• Discovered properties of fluids and
atmospheric pressure
• Invented the first accurate calculator
• At 27, abandoned math and science to study
religion; Pascal’s Wager

22. Sir Isaac Newton
• 1642-1727, England
• Considered the single greatest scientist of all time
• He developed laws of gravity and motion, which
changed man’s view of the universe, and invented
calculus.
• He failed as a farmer, and so went to Cambridge
to study math and science

23. Robert Boyle
• 1627-1691, England
• Founder of modern chemistry
• Boyle’s Laws - still used in chemistry today
• “Remember to give glory to the One who
authored nature.”

24. Antoni van
Leeuwenhook
• 1632-1723, Holland
• Built the first single lens microscope
• Discovered protozoa, and disproved
spontaneous generation through his
discovery of bacteria
• Worked as a linen draper, not a scientist

25. The Enlightenment
• Encouraged reason, freedom, democracy, using one’s
intellect to discover truth rather than being led by
others
• Examined scientific works critically rather than
relying on the reputation of past scientists
(Aristotle, Ptolemy, etc.)
• Began to question God and the authority of
Scripture

26. Carrolus Linnaeus
• 1707-1778, Sweden
• Physician, botanist and professor
• Developed a classification system for living things
which we still use today; binomial nomenclature
• His goal was to create a classification that would
reveal the Divine Order of God’s Creation

27. Antoine Lavoisier
• 1743-1794, France
• Developed the Law of Mass Conservation -
matter can neither be created nor destroyed, it
can only change forms.
• Father of modern chemistry, discovered oxygen
• Executed during the French Revolution

28. John Dalton
• 1766-1844, England
• Founder of modern atomic theory - each
atom differed from the next only by weight
• Teacher (had his own school, with as many
as 60 students), and private math tutor,
though he had little formal schooling
• Made his discoveries by conducting
experiments and recording what he
observed in nature

29. Charles Darwin
• 1809-1882, England
• He is well-known for his book, Origin of
Species, which outlines his theories of
evolution. This proposed that life originated
without a Creator.
• He showed that the idea of the immutability
of species is not true, revolutionizing the
study of living things. Species do change in
response to their environment, or through
cross-breeding, under God’s direction.

30. Louis Pasteur
• 1822-1895, France
• Developed a rabies vaccine, revolutionizing
treatment of infectious diseases
• Developed the process of pasteurization,
preventing the growth of bacteria in
beverages such as milk

31. Sir Charles Lyell
• 1797-1875, Scotland
• Studied geology and paleontology, advocated
uniformitarianism - belief in an earth that is
billions of years old, altered by slow, gradual
processes

32. Gregor Mendel
• 1822 - 1884
• Austrian monk
• He studied the passing of traits from one
generation to the next in pea plants
• He is the father of Genetics, a popular field
of study within biology.

33. Michael Faraday
• 1791-1867, England
• Experimented with electricity and believed that
electricity and magnetism were part of the same
process
• The Faraday constant is named for him, and he is
considered the best experimentalist in the history of
science, despite having little formal education
• He was well-known for his strong faith in God

34. James Clark
Maxwell
• 1831-1879, Scotland
• Founder of modern physics
• Worked closely with Faraday and later
proved his ideas about electromagnetism
through mathematical formulas
• Showed that light, electricity, and magnetism
are all part of the same phenomenon

35. James Joule
• 1818-1889, England
• Demonstrated the First Law of Thermodynamics
- like matter, energy can not be created or
destroyed, but changes forms (ex. kinetic to
thermal)
• Student of John Dalton
• the unit of measurement of energy, the joule, is
named for him

36. Max Planck
• 1858-1947, Germany
• Developed the idea of quanta, leading to
quantum mechanics
• Quanta are tiny packets of energy (just as
atoms are tiny packets of matter)
• Nobel Prize winner and gifted pianist

37. Albert Einstein
• 1879-1955
• As a young man, he formed a weekly discussion
group with friends about science and
philosophy, jokingly called the Olympia Academy.
• Albert Einstein is probably one of the most
popular figures of all time. He created the
Theory of Relativity, and so, challenged
Newton’s laws that were the basis of everything
known in physics until the beginning of the 20th
century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for
his work in Quantum Mechanics.

38. Niels Bohr
• 1885-1962, from Copenhagen
• Leader in theoretical physics
• Awarded the Nobel Prize for his work
concerning the atom.
• His model of the atom is named after him.