Edward Charles Pickering made significant contributions to the field of astronomy. His legacy is quite valuable that heavenly bodies have been named after him, among them a minor planet called Pickeringia. Pickering was born in Boston and educated at Harvard University’s Lawrence Scientific School. His scientific endeavor included physics, and this made him a brilliant faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for ten years. It also was in this school where he was able to spearhead the construction [...]

Plato, one of the most famous ancient philosophers, lived in Athens, Greece from 427 BC to 347 BC. He lends his name to the word “platonic,” however, Plato was probably not his real name, but was merely a nickname. “Plato” meant “broad,” possibly in allusion to his wide shoulders or forehead, or to the wide scope of learning he possessed. His real name may have been Aristocles, but this has not been officially ascertained.

Socrates is practically a household name. This ancient Greek thinker is well known not only in philosophical circles, but by every person who has gone to school. A kind of question-and-answer discourse has been named after him: the Socratic Method. This approach is used in philosophical discussions and in more general forms of idea exchange. It is also used as a way to look at the world, learn, and evaluate things. While Socrates left no writings of his own, much [...]

Hypatia is unique among many ancient scholars and philosophers, she was a woman. But her gender is not her sole claim to fame. She was a great teacher, scholar, mathematician, philosopher, scientist, and compiler and preserver of important scientific writings. Hypatia was born in 370 AD in the center of learning that was Alexandria, Egypt. Her father was Theon, a famous mathematician-philosopher. Undoubtedly, her learned father trained and taught her, and together, they later collaborated in writing certain commentaries to [...]

Aristotle is often touted as one of the founding fathers of science. Trained by the great philosopher Plato, Aristotle built a school he called the Lyceum at Athens. He delved into almost all dimensions of knowledge, including philosophy, science, art, literature, and of course astronomy. Based on his writings, Aristotle believed that the cosmos is round and finite. He believed that the cosmos is round in as much as it has a center, which is the earth. He also believed [...]