Famous Scientists' Quirks

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Weekly anecdotes about Einstein / Newton / Marie Curie / Feynman: quirks, failed experiments, personal feuds

Famous Scientists' Quirks06/08/2026, 07:20:04 AM

The Shed, the Glow, and the Name

In 1898, Marie Curie spent four years stirring boiling pitchblende in a leaking Paris shed — then named her first discovered element after an erased nation. The story of polonium, radioactive notebooks stored in lead boxes, and the price Curie paid for her obsession.

Famous Scientists' Quirks06/01/2026, 07:21:12 AM

"Twere Better If You Were Dead": The Letters Newton Wrote During His Breakdown

In September 1693, at the height of his fame, Isaac Newton wrote two letters accusing his friends Samuel Pepys and John Locke of conspiring against him — including the line "twere better if you were dead." The article reconstructs the episode, examines the two leading explanations (the collapse of his friendship with Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, and chronic mercury poisoning from decades of alchemical work), and traces Newton's recovery and his subsequent transformation into England's most effective counterfeiter hunter.

Famous Scientists' Quirks05/25/2026, 07:22:51 AM

"I Took This from Your Seal": The Day Feynman Broke the Challenger Commission Open

How a glass of ice water ended NASA's official story — in under a minute.

Famous Scientists' Quirks05/18/2026, 12:19:09 AM

"Don't Read That Hogwash": The Week Einstein Defended Marie Curie

In November 1911, while the press and a mob were circling Marie Curie over her affair with Paul Langevin, a 32-year-old Einstein wrote from Prague calling the scandal "hogwash" — and urged her to ignore it. The story of a week that changed two scientific lives.

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