Future Leaders or Social Outcasts?
The obsession with gifted children is an ancient one, but it took on new life in the 20th century.
Science & Technology
Discovery of the Periodic Table
Dmitri Mendeleev identified a general theory underlying all elements on 1 March 1869.
On the Road Again
Electric cars seem to offer a solution to the problem of the internal combustion engine. But technological advances have other consequences.
Was Christiaan Huygens Greater than Newton?
Dutch mathematician Christiaan Huygens has long been overshadowed by Isaac Newton. But he is the better example of a modern scientist.
Why a Circle Has 360 Degrees
The long and complicated history of why there are 360 degrees in a circle.
Sexual Eeling
The slippery subject of eel reproduction evaded human understanding for millennia.
A Perfect Landing
Overshadowed between two dramatic missions, the success of Apollo 12 was vital to the continuing space project.
Rivers of Silver, Cities of Gold
The work of Elizabeth Fulhame made huge leaps in science, despite the obstacles she faced as a woman.
In purgatory with Dante
The pursuit of astronomical study led a Victorian woman from Surrey to the Indian foothills.
The Birth of Science in a Darkened Room
The father of modern optics could not have succeeded had he not feigned madness.