Famous Scientists and Their Inventions/Discoveries (GK Notes)
📖 Introduction
Science has changed the world through the efforts of great scientists who made groundbreaking inventions and discoveries. Their contributions have shaped modern technology, medicine, and our understanding of nature. For GK and competitive exams, remembering famous scientists and their notable inventions/discoveries is crucial.
Famous Scientists and Their Inventions/Discoveries
| Scientist | Invention / Discovery |
|---|---|
| Aryabhata (India) | Zero (0), Astronomy, Trigonometry |
| Bhaskara II (India) | Concept of Calculus, Astronomy |
| Al-Khwarizmi | Father of Algebra |
| Hippocrates | Father of Medicine; Hippocratic Oath |
| Avicenna (Ibn Sina) | “Canon of Medicine”; Medical Science contributions |
| Galileo Galilei | Telescope Improvements; Law of Falling Bodies |
| Johannes Kepler | Laws of Planetary Motion |
| Isaac Newton | Laws of Gravitation & Motion; Calculus |
| Robert Hooke | Discovery of the Cell (1665) |
| William Harvey | Blood Circulation (1628) |
| James Watt | Improved Steam Engine |
| Alessandro Volta | First Electric Battery (Voltaic Pile) |
| André-Marie Ampère | Electrodynamics (Ampere’s Law) |
| Michael Faraday | Electromagnetic Induction |
| Heinrich Hertz | Electromagnetic Waves |
| Guglielmo Marconi | Wireless Telegraphy; Radio Communication |
| Edward Jenner | Smallpox Vaccine (1796) |
| Charles Darwin | Theory of Evolution (Natural Selection) |
| Gregor Mendel | Father of Genetics; Laws of Heredity |
| Dmitri Mendeleev | Periodic Table of Elements |
| Louis Pasteur | Pasteurization, Germ Theory, Vaccines (Rabies, Anthrax) |
| Alexander Graham Bell | Telephone |
| Thomas Alva Edison | Electric Bulb, Phonograph |
| Nikola Tesla | Alternating Current (AC), Tesla Coil |
| Albert Einstein | Theory of Relativity (E=mc²) |
| Wilhelm Roentgen | Discovery of X-rays |
| J.J. Thomson | Discovery of the Electron |
| Ernest Rutherford | Discovery of the Nucleus |
| Niels Bohr | Bohr Model of the Atom |
| Max Planck | Quantum Theory |
| Werner Heisenberg | Uncertainty Principle |
| Francis Crick & James Watson | Double Helix Structure of DNA |
| Rosalind Franklin | X-ray diffraction images of DNA |
| Alexander Fleming | Discovery of Penicillin |
| Enrico Fermi | First Nuclear Reactor |
| Wright Brothers | First Powered Airplane (1903) |
| Alfred Nobel | Dynamite: Founder of the Nobel Prizes |
| Stephen Hawking | Black Hole Research: Hawking Radiation |
| C.V. Raman | Raman Effect; Nobel Prize in Physics (1930) |
| Satyendra Nath Bose | Bose–Einstein Statistics; Boson Concept |
| Jagadish Chandra Bose | Radio Waves; Crescograph for Plants |
| Meghnad Saha | Saha Ionization Equation (Astrophysics) |
| Prafulla Chandra Ray | Father of Indian Chemistry; Bengal Chemicals |
| Homi J. Bhabha | Father of the Indian Nuclear Programme |
| Vikram Sarabhai | Father of the Indian Space Programme; ISRO founder |
| A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | Missile Man of India; Agni & Prithvi Missiles |
| Har Gobind Khorana | Genetic Code & Protein Synthesis; Nobel Prize (1968) |
| Venkatraman Ramakrishnan | Structure of the Ribosome; Nobel Prize (2009) |
| Salim Ali | Birdman of India: Ornithology |
| Srinivasa Ramanujan | Mathematics: Infinite Series, Number Theory |
📌 Quick Notes for Exams
-
Father of Genetics → Gregor Mendel
-
Father of the Indian Space Programme → Vikram Sarabhai
-
Missile Man of India → A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
-
First Indian Nobel Laureate in Science → C.V. Raman (1930)
-
DNA Structure → Watson & Crick (with Rosalind Franklin’s contribution)
-
X-rays → Wilhelm Roentgen
📝 Conclusion
The journey of science is written by the efforts of great scientists across the world. From Newton and Einstein to C.V. Raman and Abdul Kalam, their discoveries revolutionized physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and space science. For students and competitive exam aspirants, this list is a must-remember Static GK topic.