1. Though the future emperor of France was baptized as Napoléon, his parents nicknamed him Nabulio. In fact, there’s a restaurant called Nabulio in Nice, France, aptly located on Rue Bonaparte. 2. He became France’s ruler, but Napoleon was not a Frenchman by birth nor was French his native language. He was born on the island of Corsica, which was…
1. As a child, Freud was a good student who, aside from his native German, was also proficient in French, Italian, Spanish, English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek. He loved to read, especially works by William Shakespeare, which helped him understand human psychology. 2. While commonly known as one of history’s most famous psychiatrists, Freud was first and foremost a neurologist….
1. Although he is best known as the painter who created such masterpieces as the “Mona Lisa” and the “Last Supper,” Leonardo da Vinci was also an inventor, scientist, mathematician, engineer, and visionary. He sketched the first bicycle, helicopter, airplane, swinging bridge, motorcar, and hydraulic pump. 2. Leonardo was a self-taught man who, unlike other well-known Renaissance artists, did not…
1. Although Descartes is primarily known for his philosophy, he was also a mathematician. He created the rectangular coordinate system, which is also known as the Cartesian coordinate system. It is rumored that he came up with the system while lying in bed, watching a bug crawl on his ceiling. He also believed that monkeys were able to talk, but…
1. Niels Bohr worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II, which eventually led to the development of the first atomic bomb. Before this, he worked in London with the equivalent nuclear weapons program known as Tube Alloys. 2. Soccer was important to Bohr, and he even played on a college team. However, his brother outshone him greatly in…