Richard Feynman
1918–1988 (age 70)
Physicist
Biography
Richard Feynman was a towering figure in twentieth-century physics, whose work on quantum electrodynamics and insistence on clarity earned him the 1965 Nobel Prize; his playful curiosity reshaped how scientists approached the subatomic world.
He championed hands-on teaching at Caltech, authored beloved memoirs that brought science to new audiences, and his exuberant intelligence remains memorialized by those who visit Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum, where he now rests.