Einstein went from a young lion who was willing to challenge the status quo to a defender of the faith. Isaacson also goes into a lot of detail about Einstein's relationship with his first wife and her contributions to his famous theories.

Examines the mystical side of Newton's life, especially his involvement in alchemy and a heretical Christian religion.

The first woman scientist to win world-wide acclaim and two Nobel prizes for her work in both physics and chemistry.

Davidson works hard at solving the dichotomy of Sagan's life, his apparent inability to balance a passion for knowledge and affection for other humans.

The Father of the H-bomb. He was also the only member of the scientific community to denounce Robert Oppenheimer as a security risk and blocked efforts to negotiate nuclear test bans as well as supporting Reagan's ill-conceived Star Wars program.

Without this guy your iPod and your cell phone would not work.

One of Bertolt Brecht's best plays. Shows the danger of religious interference with government.

Won the Nobel for chemistry, plus the Nobel Peace prize, unusual for a scientist.

Piaget did ground-breaking work in child psychology. Some of his work has come into question but without him there would have been no theory to refute."

Archimedes was one of the greatest mathematicians and inventors of the ancient world. His work with levers and pulleys was a titanic achievement.

Readable account of how Kepler used mathematics to explain astronomy and how he tried to balance religious faith with science.