Timeline

16th Century

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace (1815-1843)

Pioneering mathematician and computer scientist who developed the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine.

19th Century

Mary Anning

Mary Anning (1799-1847)

British paleontologist whose fundamental marine fossil discoveries revolutionized our understanding of prehistory.

Nicole-Reine Lepaute

Nicole-Reine Lepaute (1723-1788)

Pioneering French astronomer who contributed to major astronomical calculations despite lacking official recognition.

Nettie Stevens

Nettie Stevens (1861-1912)

American cytologist who demonstrated that chromosomes determine sex.

Marthe Gautier

Marthe Gautier (1925-)

French researcher who contributed to the discovery of trisomy 21, with work minimized in scientific literature.

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979)

Pioneering astrophysicist who discovered the chemical composition of stars, contributions largely ignored at the time.

Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

Crystallographer essential to the discovery of DNA’s structure via the famous Photo 51, her contributions minimized.

Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner (1878-1968)

Austro-Swedish physicist who contributed to the discovery of nuclear fission without Nobel recognition.

20th Century

Alice Ball

Alice Ball (1892-1916)

African American chemist who developed the first injectable treatment for leprosy; her credit was taken posthumously.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943-)

Pioneering astrophysicist who discovered the first pulsar; her thesis advisor received the Nobel Prize for the discovery.

Tu Youyou

Tu Youyou (1930-)

Chinese researcher who discovered a revolutionary antimalarial treatment based on traditional Chinese medicine.

21st Century

Doudna & Charpentier

Jennifer Doudna & Emmanuelle Charpentier (1964-, 1968-)

Pioneer scientists who developed CRISPR, a revolutionary gene-editing technology, and received the Nobel Prize.