His early life. Development of Quantum Theory with Niels Bohr. Involvement with the National Socialists. Development of the Atom bomb. After the war. The man who led the development of the German atom bomb project.
The Bandit King of Brazil
Seen as a mixture of hero and bandit, Lampião (Virgulino Ferreira da Silva) became one of the most representative icons of Brazil. His image is still seen all over Brazil, in Art, Music and Film some 80 years after his death. The backlands of North-Eastern Brazil had little in the way of law and order, even the few police in existence were usually in the pocket of a local "Colonel" - a leading landowner who was also a regional political chief. The poor badly treated by the paramilitary police would often prefer the presence of bandits over that of the police.
The First Astrophotographer
John William Draper - born in St Helen's, Lancashire, son of a Methodist preacher - was the man who took the first photograph of the moon, and the was also thought to have taken the first portrait photograph of a person. Was the first to photograph the sun in ultra-violet and infra-red. Founder of the New York University School of Medicine. First president of the American Chemical Society. Was entangled in the great evolution debate over Darwin's publications.
Maria Mitchell
Maria Mitchell was born on August 1, 1818, in Nantucket, Massachusetts into a quaker family. Worked as a librarian for many years. Rose to fame as the first American to discover a telescopic comet. Even though having no formal university education, she became Professor of Astronomy at Vasser College, one of the foremost women's colleges in the USA. Was an early advocate for women's rights in the USA.
Watching Mars
Humans have been observing Mars for thousands of years, ItÂ’s always had a element of mystery. At times the fourth brightest object in the night sky, only Venus, The Moon and the Sun surpassing it. Long associated with "The God of War", and those pesky invading Tripods. I attempt to cover the history of our observations and ideas on the red planet
Williamina Paton Fleming
Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming never took a photograph of an astronomical object. She probably never took a photograph of anything. She however holds a place in the annals of Astronomy and Astrophotography for her discovery of one of the most photographed and recognisably astronomical object and of a new type of star
So, let's relate how a single mother from Dundee abandoned by her husband in Boston USA with no scientific training became one of the Worlds most renowned astronomers.
Aleijadinho - "The Brazillian Michelangelo"
Antônio Francisco Lisboa (1738 - 1814), also known as Aleijadinho (Portuguese for "little cripple"), is considered to be the most significant figure of Baroque and Rococo art in Brazil. He developed a degenerative disease that caused the deformation of his limbs, leading to his nickname. His masterpiece, Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, Congonhas, an architectural complex featuring the iconic sculptures of the Twelve Prophets and the Stations of the Cross, depicting the Passion of Christ is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. (pictured here)
