May 12

Liebig revolutionized chemistry by developing analytical techniques that advanced the study of organic compounds. He founded the first university laboratory for chemistry teaching and research at the University of Giessen. His work on plant nutrition led to the formulation of fertilizers, earning him recognition as the father of agricultural chemistry. Liebig invented the Liebig condenser, a crucial apparatus still used in chemical laboratories today. His textbooks and research methods trained generations of scientists, cementing his legacy in science education.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was an English nurse, social reformer, and statistician. During the Crimean War, she organized care for wounded soldiers and introduced hygiene practices that drastically reduced mortality. She devised the polar area diagram to illustrate hospital sanitation data, pioneering visual statistics in social science. Her book Notes on Nursing became a foundational text for nursing education worldwide. Throughout her life, she campaigned for public health reform, influencing hospital design, sanitation, and healthcare policy. Known as the 'Lady with the Lamp,' her legacy transformed nursing into a respected profession.

He studied at the University of Vienna and specialized in pediatrics and immunology. In 1906, he coined the term 'allergy' to describe hypersensitivity reactions. He developed the Pirquet reaction, an early form of the tuberculin skin test for tuberculosis. His work laid the groundwork for modern allergy diagnostics and serum therapy. He held academic positions in Vienna and mentored future immunologists. His contributions remain fundamental to clinical immunology and pediatric medicine.

He studied chemistry at the University of Toronto and obtained his Ph.D. in 1925. His pioneering work focused on chemical thermodynamics and the properties of matter near absolute zero. In 1949, he was honored with the Nobel Prize for his discoveries related to entropy and low-temperature equilibrium. He served as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, mentoring many students. His research advanced the understanding of quantum effects in solids and gases. His contributions remain foundational to the fields of low-temperature physics and chemistry.

Born in Budapest in 1908, Nicholas Kaldor relocated to Britain in 1937 to escape fascism and joined the economics faculty at Cambridge. He challenged neoclassical thought with his influential growth laws, showing how industrial expansion drives economic development. His pioneering work on income distribution and welfare economics laid the foundation for modern policy debates. Kaldor served as an economic adviser to postwar UK governments, shaping planning and social welfare initiatives. A Fellow of the British Academy, he lectured widely and mentored future leaders in economic theory. His ideas on cumulative causation and structural change continue to influence scholars and policymakers.

Born in Cairo in 1910 and educated in England, Dorothy Hodgkin revolutionized X-ray crystallography to map complex molecular structures. In 1945, she solved the structure of penicillin, paving the way for advances in antibiotic development. Her 1964 Nobel Prize recognized her elucidation of vitamin B12’s structure, making her the third woman honored in chemistry. She later determined the structure of insulin, a landmark in diabetes research. Hodgkin served as President of the International Union of Crystallography and was a tireless advocate for science education and international collaboration. Appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1965, she inspired generations of women in science until her death in 1994.

Maryam Mirzakhani was an Iranian mathematician and professor at Stanford University. In 2014, she became the first woman and first Iranian to be awarded the Fields Medal for her contributions to geometry and dynamical systems. Her work focused on the study of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces, revealing deep connections between hyperbolic geometry and ergodic theory. Mirzakhani's groundbreaking research has influenced fields ranging from theoretical physics to topology. She passed away in 2017 but left a profound legacy as a trailblazer for women in mathematics.