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Please All professions need their superstars, those that can influence and inspire future students. Although there are some very strong candidates for the role, for me Richard Feynman was the superstar of the 20th Century.
I am sure that there will be those that can't look past Albert Einstein. It is true that every significant discovery of the last 100 years has a mention of his work, and I would not dispute that he was THE physicist of his, and many other, times.
However, his articles are not easy to read and he does not have a reputation for teaching and popularising the subject. So for me, it is Feynman every time. For those who are not aware of his expertise, he was involved in the following:
- Work included the Manhattan Project, all the way through to the Challenger Enquiry.
- Nobel prize for his work on quantum electrodynamics.
- Renowned teacher with his lectures 'The Feynman Lectures on Physics' still being seen as one of the seminal works on the subject.
If you are interested in finding out more about this brilliant man, then I would definitely recommend the following:
- 'Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman' - a light-hearted review of his life.
- 'Six Easy Pieces' and 'Six Not-So-Easy Pieces' - a starting point for his lectures.
- Youtube also has lots of videos of his lectures. I would recommend the Horizon special on his life 'The Pleasure of Finding Things Out'.
