Albert Einstein

With ideas – and some hardcore maths – Albert Einstein transformed humanity’s understanding of the cosmos.

1. He explored the universe without leaving his room

Einstein pioneered theoretical physics through a series of 'thought experiments' that relied on imagination, inspiration and a lot of very complicated maths. Without lab work, he was able to come up with a series of new concepts about how the universe works. These included black holes and his theories of relativity. Practical experiments and some very big telescopes have subsequently proved his key theories right.

2. He made equations sexy

Well one perhaps. Einstein’s E = mc2 is the most recognisable equation in the world, adorning t-shirts, posters and even song lyrics. The formula states the mind boggling concept that energy and mass are the same physical entity, and can be changed into one another. It opened up a whole new way of understanding the universe – and that wasn’t even the work that earned Einstein the Nobel prize for physics in 1921.

3. He gave science a conscience

With discoveries and technological leaps transforming the world in the 20th century, Einstein was vocal about science’s moral responsibility to humanity. Urging peace, he wrote not just on physics, but many other aspects of society. This work earnt him a reputation as the “conscience of the world” – a scientist aware that scientific work had an impact on lives far beyond the lab.