Biographical

Hundreds of researchers have made significant contributions to cognitive science. What follows is a set of short academic biographies of people whom we believe should be counted on anyone's list of important contributors; the work of many of them is discussed in the Companion. Not every important figure is included; and some people are included, especially from the history of cognitive science, who would not describe, or could not have described, themselves as cognitive scientists despite their considerable impact on the field. We trust that the list will be useful to students doing research in cognitive science and to readers who wish to familiarize themselves with the work of specific contributors.

The beginning of the sixteenth century is the most famous period of Italian art. It was the time of Michelangelo, Raphael, Dürer, Holbein, Giorgione, Titan, Correggio and many other famous masters. Leonardo da Vinci was much more than an artist. He was an astronomer, sculptor, geologist, mathematician, botanist, animal behaviourist, inventor, engineer, architect and even a musician. He was all of these things and more. As the world faces a new millennium Leonardo da Vinci remains one of the most fascinating people history has ever known. He once said that "things of the mind left untested by the senses are useless." Leonardo left little untested, yet few people know the amazing story behind the man often described as the embodiment of the Renaissance. This Web site endeavours to introduce you to the artist, the scientific visionary, the amazing inventor and Leonardo, the man. One can never explain the existence of genius, one can but enjoy.

Did You Know? Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors; also, it took him ten years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

This web site is dedicated to Richard P. Feynman, scientist, teacher, raconteur, and musician. He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb, expanded the understanding of quantumelectrodynamics, translated Mayan hieroglyphics, and cut to the heart of the Challenger disaster. But beyond all of that, Richard Feynman was a unique and multi-faceted individual. Feel free to explore this site to find out about Feynman, what he was and why he remains one of the most celebrated and revered scientists of modern times.

Tesla Memorial Society of New York is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It was founded in Buffalo, New York in 1979. It is the oldest Tesla society in North America dedicated to keeping the memory of Nikola Tesla alive. We are committed to the pursuit of science, progress and brotherhood among all nations and religions around the world.

I began compiling Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History as a source for a biography of Franklin. I gradually came to think that it had scholarly value of its own, though I still intend it to be the basic documentation for the biography. Since the Documentary History (DH) is arranged chronologically, the dates in the biography can be readily checked in the DH, where bibliographical references are given. The DH calendars but does not print Franklin's writings. It refers to The Papers of Benjamin Franklin far more frequently than to any other source, citing the Papers for the innumerable scholarly contributions made by that great edition. Since The Papers of Benjamin Franklin is also arranged chronologically, the date itself in the DH can serve as a reference to the Papers. For the user's convenience, however, the materials in the Papers are cited by volume and page in the DH. For example, the chronology begins with the birth of Josiah Franklin (BF's father) and cites the prefatory roman numeral pages 50-51 of volume one and the genealogial chart on roman numeral page 69. In those instances when a writing by Franklin is not in the Papers, the DH cites The Canon of Benjamin Franklin: New Attributions and Reconsiderations (Canon)and, if printed therein, Benjamin Franklin: Writings (W). Of course, a few new attributions occur in the DH; brief justifications for these are found in the DH and more detailed ones in the biography. The DH also lists Franklin's attendence and participation in the meetings of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, and other organizations, as well as references to Franklin in private letters and in the contemporary periodical press. Beginning with the appointment of Franklin and Meredith as Pennsylvania's official printers (30 Jan 1730), the DH records the meetings of the Pennsylvania Assembly because Franklin made sure to be in Philadelphia during the legislative sessions. Beginning with Franklin's election as clerk to the assembly (15 Oct 1736), the DH chronicles the most important assembly business because Franklin kept the minutes; and beginning with Franklin's election as a representative (9 May 1751), it includes brief discussions of most assembly sessions where Franklin played an active part.

According to legend, the inventor who revolutionized electrical technology came into this world precisely at midnight as the sky was illuminated by a powerful lightning storm. From these prophetic beginnings, Nikola Tesla has since plunged into relative obscurity. Modern society has benefited greatly from the contributions of Tesla. Amongst his 111 patents, Tesla designed the first practical methods for generating alternating current, which has enabled the long distance transmission of electricity. He created the “Tesla coil,” a popular device for demonstrating high frequency and high voltage phenomena. He designed new electric lighting systems and incandescent lamps. Tesla also revolutionized the field of radio communications with his four-circuit transmitter/receiver and novel designs for intensifying and transforming signals.

A great American printer and publisher, author, inventor, scientist and diplomat, Benjamin Franklin stands in the front rank of the people who built the United States. He is the only person to sign the four key documents in American history: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, and the Constitution of the United States. He was the leader of his day in the study of electricity, and is one of the most revered and beloved figures in American history.

Nikola Tesla was born a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1856 in a mountainous area of the Balkan Peninsula known as Lika. His father Milutin, and his mother Djuka, were both Serbian by origin. Tesla's father was a stern but loving Orthodox priest, who was also a gifted writer and poet. At a young age, Tesla immersed himself in his father's library. Tesla's mother was a hard working woman of many talents who created appliances to help with home and farm responsibilities. One of these was a mechanical eggbeater. Tesla attributed all of his inventive instincts to his mother.

This transcript of the classic talk that Richard Feynman gave on December 29th 1959 at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) was first published in the February 1960 issue of Caltech's Engineering and Science, which owns the copyright. It has been made available on the web at http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html with their kind permission.

Despite his relative obscurity, the greatest genius of all time may have been Nikola Tesla. With over 700 patents in his name, Tesla shaped our current technological landscape more than any other individual. How, then, did this great man end up dying destitute and in obscurity? Did Tesla's extraordinary mind decline into insanity... or was he simply far, far ahead of his time?

In this epic-length series, ParaScope takes a look at the early life and bizarre eccentricities of the great inventor, and his hard-fought first victory with the alternating current engine.