Imagine a world without electricity, cars, air travel, or smartphones. For most of history, these technologies will have been totally unimaginable–the stuff of science fiction. Yet, today we can’t imagine life without them.
The pace of change over the past two centuries has been exponential. Though some argue that, with the exception of the growth in computing power, the pace of technological change has slowed.
Technologies that we enjoy today would not have been possible without the pioneers of yesteryear. In the words of Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of others.” A noble sentiment considering his Law of Universal Gravitation remained the reference theory on gravitation for nearly 200 years. Until Albert Einstein came along and proved that in theory, we could travel through time.
This infographic takes us on a journey through history to find the equations that changed the world. From physics to quantum mechanics and on to information theory, history’s greatest mathematicians have helped to build our world. Today, nuclear power, space travel, artificial intelligence, and robotics are a part of everyday life. Without the great minds of the past, our lives may have been very different.