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Apr 23, 2024 17 tweets 8 min read Read on X
The Greatest Minds to Have Ever Lived (A Four-Part Series) - Part 3.

Here are luminaries who have laid the foundations for the arts, philosophy, and the sciences that shaped our world, some even at cost of their lives.

Let's look at how they were immortalized in art.🧵 Credit: https://memoirsofeinstein.blogspot.com/p/home-page.html
"Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fancies. To teach superstitions as truths is a most terrible thing." - Hypatia

Hypatia was an influential Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician in Alexandria. Her teachings and works, although largely lost, contributed to the development of mathematics and philosophy.Hypatia by Julius Kronberg, 1889
By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, h"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection."
- Michelangelo

Michelangelo, an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance, is celebrated for his immense artistic versatility and detail in works such as the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the statue of David.By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125633750
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
- Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein, a renowned theoretical physicist, developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics. His famous equation, E=mc², has had a profound impact on the scientific understanding of energy and mass.The famous image of Einstein taken by United Press photographer Arthur Sasse in 1951
Fibonacci (Leonardo of Pisa) was an Italian mathematician who introduced the Fibonacci sequence to the Western world through his book "Liber Abaci." His work significantly influenced European mathematics.

The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, typically starting with 0 and 1, and is famous for appearing in various natural phenomena, from the arrangement of leaves on a stem to the branching of trees and the spiral patterns of shells.Monument of Leonardo da Pisa (Fibonacci), by Giovanni Paganucci, completed in 1863, in the Camposanto di Pisa. By Hans-Peter Postel - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1739679
"To play without passion is inexcusable!" - Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven, a German composer and pianist, is regarded as a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music. He is known for his innovative compositions, including the Ninth Symphony and the Moonlight Sonata.Beethoven with the manuscript of the Missa solemnis Credit: Joseph Karl Stieler - Google Arts & Culture
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." - Marie Curie

Marie Curie, a pioneering physicist and chemist, was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields - physics and chemistry - for her work on radioactivity.Marie Curie Monument in Lublin This file was created and uploaded by User:SzaterTen plik został stworzony i dodany przez Wikipedystę:SzaterSzater Wikimedia CommonsPolska Wikipedia - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2898616
Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk and scientist, is now known as the father of modern genetics for his research on the inheritance of traits in pea plants. His work laid the foundation for the modern understanding of genetics and heredity. In 1910, this statue of Mendel was erected "by the friends of science." It orginally stood in Mendel Square in Brno. The statue now stands in the garden at the Mendelianum, the Mendel Museum, in Brno. Credit: https://dnalc.cshl.edu/view/16183-Gallery-4-Statue-of-Gregor-Mendel.html
"Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise."
- Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. His theories have profoundly influenced the humanities and social sciences.Photographic portrait of Sigmund Freud, signed by the sitter ("Prof. Sigmund Freud") By Max Halberstadt - https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=6116407, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64082854
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right." - Henry Ford

Henry Ford was an American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, and the sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T revolutionized transportation and American industry.Time magazine, January 14, 1935
"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration."
- Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla was known for his groundbreaking contributions to the development of alternating current (AC) electrical systems, including the AC motor and transformer, which have had lasting impacts on electrical power distribution.Room 3327 of the Hotel New Yorker, where Tesla died
"The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Perhaps the most influential composer from the classical era, Mozart is known for his mastery across all musical genres of his time. His extensive body of work, including operas, symphonies, and chamber music, remains popular and influential.Mozart family, c. 1780 (della Croce); the portrait on the wall is of Mozart's mother.
"That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal; as time will show." - Ada Lovelace

An English mathematician and writer, Ada Lovelace is often considered the first computer programmer for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She theorized a method for the engine to repeat a series of instructions, a process known as looping.Portrait of Ada by the British painter Margaret Sarah Carpenter (1836)
"Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated." - Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin was an English chemist who is often overlooked but whose work on X-ray diffraction was critical in the discovery of the DNA double helix. Her photographs of DNA allowed Watson and Crick to create their famous model of DNA.Credit: Rosalind Franklin, 1953 is a photograph by Illustration by Jody Hewgill for TIME
Elizabeth I, the Queen of England and Ireland, is celebrated as one of the greatest monarchs for her adept governance and the establishment of the Elizabethan Age, a period marked by the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as Shakespeare, and the expansion of global maritime power.

Her political acumen in navigating complex domestic and international challenges, including religious divisions and threats from powerful adversaries like Spain, solidified her legacy as a shrewd and effective leader.Portrait commemorating the defeat of the Spanish Armada, depicted in the background. Elizabeth's hand rests on the globe, symbolising her international power. One of three known versions of the "Armada Portrait".
"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world." - Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur, a French biologist, microbiologist, and chemist, is renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization. His work in disease prevention has saved countless lives.Louis Pasteur in his laboratory, painting by A. Edelfeldt in 1885
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More from @CultureExploreX

May 8
Most stories entertain.

Dante’s Divine Comedy does something else.

It drags you through Hell, exposes every lie you believe, and rebuilds your soul from the ruins.

It’s the most terrifying and hopeful poem ever written. This is why Dante still haunts us today? 🧵👇 Dante and Virgil, a painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1850), which depicts Dante and Virgil in the eighth circle of Hell, observing two damned souls in eternal combat in Hell.
Before you can glimpse Heaven, Dante forces you to stare into Hell.

Not symbolically—viscerally.

He shows you sin, layer by layer, until you can’t look away.

At the center isn’t fire. It’s ice.

Where Satan sits frozen, chewing on the worst traitors in history. Lower Hell, inside the walls of Dis, in an illustration by Stradanus; there is a drop from the sixth circle to the three rings of the seventh circle, then again to the ten rings of the eighth circle, and, at the bottom, to the icy ninth circle
Image
Illustration by Sandro Botticelli: Dante and Virgil visit the first two bolge of the Eighth Circle
Dante didn’t dream this up from nothing.

He built a cosmos.
Using a 2nd-century map by Ptolemy:
• Earth at the center
• 9 circles of Hell below
• 9 spheres of Heaven above

And everything—everything—has meaning. Image
La materia della Divina commedia di Dante Alighieri, Plate VI: "The Ordering of Paradise" by Michelangelo Caetani (1804–1882)
The Paradiso assumes the medieval view of the Universe, with the Earth surrounded by concentric spheres containing planets and stars.
Read 16 tweets
May 7
You’ve seen photos of the Sistine Chapel, the site of the Papal conclave.

But what else does the Vatican holds?

Rooms so beautiful they feel illegal.
Manuscripts so rare they were once guarded by swords.
And art that made you weep.

Let me show you what you’ve missed… 🧵👇 The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City
The Vatican Museums aren’t just a tourist stop.

They’re a labyrinth of 54 galleries, 20,000 artworks, and secrets buried in brushstrokes and stone.

But what’s hidden beyond the crowds?

And what’s locked in the Vatican Library? Here’s the story no one tells. The Vatican Library
Start with the Raphael Rooms.

Most visitors walk past without knowing:
This was where the Renaissance reached its peak.

Where Pope Julius II had a private study painted not for politics but for truth. Room of the Signatura
Room of Heliodorus
Room of the Fire in the Borgo
Hall of Constantine. Wikimedia CC
Read 18 tweets
May 6
Inside a locked room, men starved, wept, and cursed each other.

One Conclave dragged on so long the roof was torn off to speed it up. Another one ended with two popes...

You’ve never seen power struggles like this... 🧵👇 Cardinals walking into the Sistine Chapel for the start of the Conclave
Forget the white smoke.

Behind the most sacred ritual in Christianity lies a history of backroom deals, bribes, riots, and betrayals.

Here are the conclaves that nearly broke the Church and the world.

It only gets darker from here… Image
First, understand what a conclave is:
From the Latin cum clave—“with a key.”

Once cardinals enter, the doors are locked until a new pope is chosen.

But in history, locking the doors didn’t stop the chaos… 2013 Conclave
Read 17 tweets
May 5
Most people think Cinco de Mayo is just tacos and tequila.

But the real story is written in stone on the walls of Mexico’s most breathtaking buildings.

Let me show you the side of Mexico they never teach in school... 🧵👇 The Palacio de Bellas Artes is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City.
Behind every dome, plaza, and cathedral lies a story of defiance, beauty, and forgotten genius.

And once you see what Mexico built… you’ll never reduce it to a holiday again. Museo Nacional de Arts Photo: Shutterstock
Start in Puebla.

The city where Mexican troops crushed a European empire in 1862.

But few realize—Puebla is also a jewel of colonial architecture. Mexican cavalry charge at the Battle of Puebla
Read 18 tweets
May 3
When Notre-Dame caught fire in 2019, Parisians wept in the streets.

Not because a building burned—but because something sacred was bleeding.

That’s Paris.

A city where beauty is always one spark away from ruin. The painful, defiant beauty of Paris... 🧵 👇 Paris | France - Notre Dame - Apostles Balance on the Central Spire By Marcus Frank on Flickr r_marcus_frank/39030088842/in/photostream/
Paris has never just been a postcard.
It’s a survivor.

Built on bones, crowned in blood, reborn in art—again and again.

This thread isn’t about travel. It’s about how the world’s most beautiful city keeps rising from its own ashes. Napoleon commissioned the Arc de Triomphe in 1806 to celebrate his victories, and today it stands as a proud sentinel over Paris’ most famous avenue. Credit:  Richard Joly on Flickr
Sainte-Chapelle isn’t just a church.

It’s a 13th-century jewel built by King Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns—bathed in over 1,000 stained-glass windows.

Step inside, and it feels like God Himself lit the walls from within. Credit: @JeremyTate41
Read 17 tweets
May 2
Most people think Leonardo da Vinci was just a painter.

But what if I told you the Mona Lisa was the least of his brilliance?

He died on this day, May 2nd, 1519.

And the world still hasn’t caught up to his mind. Let’s dive into why... 🧵 The Death of Leonardo da Vinci by 	Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1818) Francis I Receives the Last Breaths of Leonardo da Vinci
The deeper you look, the more impossible he seems.

He painted like a god, dissected corpses, sketched flying machines, and wrote entire treatises… backward.

Here’s the story of a man who tried to understand everything. Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci or Leonardo with workshop participation
Virgin of the Rocks  1483–1493 Louvre version
Lady with an Ermine, c. 1489–1491 Czartoryski Museum, Kraków, Poland
Antique Warrior in Profile, c. 1472. British Museum, London
He was born illegitimate.

No formal education. No family title. No inheritance.

Yet he outshined kings, popes, and scholars.

His weapon? Curiosity sharpened into obsession. Image
Read 19 tweets

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