Heroes of Science & Technology Educational Posters Series

14 great scientists and technologists:

Archimedes | Marie Curie | Charles Darwin | Albert Einstein | Gertrude Elion | Michael Faraday | Benjamin Franklin | Galileo | Lillian Gilbreth | Grace Hopper | Isaac Newton | Louis Pasteur | Ellen Richards

"Science" is a method of acquiring knowledge by methodical observation and testing to organize knowledge. A scientist is an individual who practices science; before 1833 scientists were called nature philosophers or '"men" of science'. A technologist applies the knowledge derived from science with "techniques" to create "appliances" for consumers.

Archimedes - Mathematician, Physicist, Engineer, Astronomer, Philosopher
b. 287 BC, Syracuse, Sicily
d. 212 BC, Syracuse, Sicily

Poster Text: “Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth.” -Archimedes, commenting on the lever.

ARCHIMEDES is considered the greatest mathematician and inventor of ancient times. He made important discoveries in geometry, hydrostatics, and mechanics. Much of his work and results were not surpassed for over 1,500 years. Also an outstanding engineer, he formulate Archimedes’ principle of buoyancy and the principle of the lever.

• The Archimedes Codex: How a Medieval Prayer Book Is Revealing the True Genius of Antiquity's Greatest Scientist

Marie Curie, Chemist
b. 11-7-1867; Poland
d. 7-4-1934; France

Poster Text: “We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” -Marie Sklodowska Curie

A truly remarkable woman, Marie Curie is best known as the discoverer of the radioactive elements polonium and radium and as the first person to win two Nobel Prizes. Her work has affected the lives of people everywhere through the application of radioactive principles in medicine, communications, and in industrial technology.

• more Marie Curie posters
• Notable teachers and educators posters

Charles Darwin
b. 2-12-1809; England
d. 4-19-1882, England

Poster Text: "It is not the strongest of the species, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." -Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin, the first evolutionary biologist, became a household name because he gathered indisputable evidence and proposed a viable mechanism for evolution, natural selection. His theory basically stated that life on earth results from billions of years of adaptations to changing environments.

• Charles Darwin posters
• genetics posters
• Galapagos poster

Albert Einstein
b. 3-14-1879; Ulm, Germany
d. 4-18-1955; Princeton, NJ

Poster Text: “Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity.” -Albert Einstein

Regarded as one of the most brilliant mathematical physicists of the 20th century, Albert Einstein’s theories relating matter, energy, space, time, and gravity form the basis for our understanding of the structure of the universe. A outspoken pacifist, he also made many contributions to peace in his lifetime.

• more Albert Einstein posters

Gertrude Elion,
Biochemist
b. 1-23-1918; NYC
d. 2-21-1999, Chapel Hill, NC

Poster Text: “What greater joy can you have than to know what an impact your work has had on people’s lives? The thrill of seeing people get well who otherwise might have died cannot be described in words.” -Gertrude Elion

Shunning traditional trial-and-error methods for finding effective treatments, biochemist Gertrude Elion took an innovative "pathways" approach that relied on determining how cells use chemicals to reproduce and grow. Her research led to the development of drugs to combat several serious medical conditions, including leukemia, malaria, viral herpes, and AIDS.

• more health care practioners posters

Michael Faraday,
Chemist and Physicist
b. 9-22-1791; London
d. 8-25-1867; England

Poster Text: “Nothing is too wonderful to be true if it be consistent with the laws of nature.” -Michael Faraday

One of the greatest experimenters in the field of electricity, Michael Faraday is best known for his discovery of electromagnetic induction and the laws of electrolysis. He is also viewed as the inventor of the electric motor, generator, and transformer.

Poster Text: “Do not squander time - for that is the stuff life is made of.” -Benjamin Franklin

In addition to being a printer, publisher and statesman, Benjamin Franklin was a brilliant scientific investigator known in his day as “the wizard of electricity.” His famous kite experiment proved that lightening is a form of electricity.

• more Benjamin Franklin posters
• weather posters

Galileo Galilei
Physicist, Astronomer, Philosopher
b. 2-15-1564, Pisa, Italy
d. 1-8-1642, Italy

Poster Text: “The laws of Nature are written in the language of mathematics...the symbols are triangels, circles and other geometical figures, without whose help it is impossible to comprehend a single word.” Galileo Galilei Quoted in M. Kline, Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times

Galileo Galilei is credited for establishing the modern experimental method. He introduced the practice of proving or disproving a scientific theory by conducting tests and observing the results.

• more Galileo posters
• Famous Teachers posters

Lillian Gilbreth - Engineer
b. 5-24-1878, Oakland, CA
d. 1-2-1972

Poster Text: “Anyone can make a problem complicated. The real achievement is to make it simple.” -Lillian Moller Gilbreth

Lillian Moller Gilbreth was a pioneer in the field of motion study. Together with her husband, Frank, she developed work methods that increased industrial production and helped to establish the industrial engineering profession. A mother of 12, she was one of the first women to combine a career with her home life.

• Cheaper by the Dozen

Grace Hopper - Mathematician
b. 12-9-1906, NYC
d. 1-1-1992, Arlington, VA

Poster Text: “When you have a good idea and you've tried it and know it's going to work, go ahead and do it - because it is much easier to apologize later than to get permission.” - Grace Murray Hopper

A pioneer in the development of computer languages, Grace Hopper played an essential role in developing and standardizing COBOL, which led to widespread use of computers in business, governmental, and science applications.

• more Grace Hopper posters
• computer posters
• Women in Science poster

Isaac Newton - Physicist, Mathematician, Astronomer
b. 12-25-1642; England
d. 3-20-1727, London

Poster Text: “If I have ever made any valuable discoveries it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent .” Isaac Newton

Known as one of the greatest scientists of all time Issac Newton was a physicist, mathematician and astronomer. He discovered the law of gravity and created the field of calculus, found that white light is composed of many colors, and developed three standard rules of motion still used today. Newton’s laws of motion and theory of gravitation are cornerstones of modern physics.

• more Isaac Newton posters

Louis Pasteur - Microbiologist & Chemist
b. 12-27-1822; Dole, France
d. 9-28-1895, Paris

Poster Text: "Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world."

French chemist and biologist, Louis Pasteur founded the science of microbiology, proved the germ theory of disease, invented the process of pasteurization, and developed vaccines for several diseases.

• Home Milk Pasteurizer
• Louis Pasteur (biography)
• health posters
• more health care practitioners posters

Ellen Richards - Sanitary Engineer, Chemist
b. 12-3-1842; Dunstable, MA
d. 3-30-1911

Poster Text:

"The quality of life depends upon the ability of society to teach its members how to live in harmony with their environment – defined first as family, then the community, then the world and its resources." Ellen S. Richards

Among the first women to formally work as a scientist, Ellen Swallow Richards profoundly impacted people's daily lives. A pioneer in the field of sanitary engineering, she also applied scientific principles to domestic life in creating the field of home economics.

• Women in Science poster
• ecology posters
• food safety posters