When you read a lot of science and math books, there are certain names that reappear over and over. Richard Feynman is everywhere and Alan Turing too. While Feynman is known to the greater culture and Turing somewhat less so, there are often many others who are mentioned in book after book (or article after article) yet not known to the general public. These are not simply experts in some particular area, but individuals who are essentially glorified in the geeky realm, yet are relatively little known to outsiders. These people, treated as patron saints of nerdery, are members of what I term the Geek Pantheon (yes, I'm aware of the mixing of theological metaphors.) They are not only individuals who happen to be involved in science, technology, or mathematics, but exemplify the quintessence of the science nerd or geek, such as Srinivasa Ramanujan. Ramanujan, the Indian math savant who made a large number of advances in number theory, has numerous wonderful stories told about him and his abilities. Ramanujan makes the pantheon.
Anyway, below are six members of the (very incomplete) Geek Pantheon and their popularity over time, as measured by Google Ngram Viewer:
What to make of the chart below? Well, clearly there are certain members of the pantheon that are more popular than others (just as Zeus beats Hephaestus or Batman beats Aquaman). What other historical figures are well-known to this population but little known outside it? Who else makes the Geek Pantheon?
Top image:Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
