This is number one on my summer reading list. This book written by scientist/innovator Stephen Wolfram provides a unique perspective on the lives and achievements of incredible figures from the fields of science and technology.
"Weaving together his immersive interest in people and history with insights gathered from his own experiences, Stephen Wolfram gives an ennobling look at some of the individuals whose ideas and creations have helped shape our world today. From his recollections about working with Richard Feynman to his insights about how Alan Turing's work has unleashed generations of innovation to the true role of Ada Lovelace in the history of computing, Wolfram takes the reader into the minds and lives of great thinkers and creators of the past few centuries and shows how great achievements can arise from dramatically different personalities and life trajectories."
Subjects include:
Richard Feynman
Kurt Gödel
Alan Turing
John von Neumann
George Boole
Ada Lovelace
Gottfried Leibniz
Benoit Mandelbrot
Steve Jobs
Marvin Minsky
Russell Towle
Bertrand Russell
Alfred Whitehead
Richard Crandall
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Solomon Golomb
Danielle Newnham Podcast