Men in Science: Babbage, Darwin, Einstein, & Newton

In science, you have breakthrough discoveries, and more often than not, scientists build on the work of others. On The Invisible Mentor Blog, we have profiled some male scientists who have made phenomenal scientific discoveries – Babbage, Darwin, Einstein and Newton.

Charles Babbage

Charles Darwin

Albert Einstein

Sir Isaac Newton

Charles Babbage, Father of the Computer, Mathematician, Professor, Inventor and Economic Theorist:

Babbage designed a computer that he couldn’t build because the technology did not exist at the time. The London Science Museum constructed one of his computing machines from the original plans to demonstrate the validity of Babbage’s ideas. Based on his drawings and description, Ada Lovelace, the first computer software programmer, wrote a program for Babbage’s machine but couldn’t actually test it since the machine didn’t exist.

Charles Darwin, English Naturalist:

Charles Darwin got his big break in life when John Stevens Henslow recommended him for the position of an unpaid naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle expedition to chart coastlines in South America and other areas of the Pacific. That one big break given to Darwin helped to chart his life. Most people know Darwin for his work on survival of the fittest.

Albert Einstein, Physicist and Scientist, Discovered the Theory of Relativity:

When most people think of Einstein, the famous equation E=mc² (Energy is equal to the mass of an object times the speed of light squared) immediately comes to mind. The year 1905 was a seminal one for Einstein because he published five papers on special relativity, on the particle (photon) nature of light, resulting in the complementary idea that light was both a wave and a particle, and papers in statistical physics, three of which were revolutionary and brought him recognition in the scientific community.

Sir Isaac Newton, English Physicist & Mathematician:

Contributing factors to success is ongoing learning and reading broadly. Sir Isaac Newton had those attributes, and he was curious and loved to experiment as well. From a young age he was building things such as sundials, water clocks and windmills. He found the answer to gravity from nature when he saw an apple falling from a tree on his family’s farm.

Workbook to Figure Out Your Calling

1. Take the time to discover the type of work you were meant to do. What makes your heart sing a joyful song? What would you do even if you were not getting paid for it?
2. Research others who are making money in the field, and find a niche for yourself. Conduct 15-minute interviews with them to discover how they got where they are. Most people are willing to share their knowledge.
3. What do Charles Babbage, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Sir Isaac Newton have in common? What common traits do you see among them? Strive to identify at least five. Which of those traits do you possess, and how has it served you so far in life?
4. Now that you have read all five profiles, in what ways can you invent a path for yourself?
5. Why are these men still relevant today; and why should we read their stories?
6. What ways can you use these men as examples to empower you to rise above the challenges you face in your life?
7. If these men lived today, would they be more or less successful and why do you say that?
8. As a result of learning about these men:
   • What are your five key takeaways?
   • What have you discovered about yourself?
   • What will you do differently from now on?
9. Think about a major obstacle that you are facing in life and find at least one solution that will eliminate it. How can you work around the obstacle so that it becomes irrelevant?
10. Look at the process you use to get your job done, think of ways to improve the process and make it more efficient. Is there a way to eliminate a step or combine steps? Also, is there a way to do your work in a more cost-effective manner? Look at some common assumptions that are made around you, perhaps in the way work gets done, how about if you turned those assumptions upside down, what would happen?
11. Who do you know who you can work collaboratively with – whose skills complements yours?

Related Books: Men in Science

 Charles Babbage and His Calculating Engines Charles Babbage from the Beginning Who Was Charles Darwin? Darwin: The Five Essential Works Einstein: His Life and Universe Einstein: A Life of Genius Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything Isaac Newton: A Life From Beginning to End Who Was Isaac Newton? The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy