Most Underappreciated Person

[confusedpink]

In your opinion, who is the most underappreciated person in history? There are so many scientists and writers etc.. who deserve a place in history, Who would be your choice? Just curious I guess. I think I would say Lisa Meitner, she was amazing!

[gary baldy]

Alan Turing

[spacechimp]

Me. No, that's a lie. I'm happy that I knew who Alan Turing was without looking (thanks to Jeremy Clarkson). I'd say... tough one... whoever invented cakes.

[joko]

Mr and mrs cadbury, Mr and mrs rowntree, Mr and mrs nestle, and Mr and mrs mcvitie

[Aschenbach]

I noticed that three of our best authors DH Lawrence EM Forster and Graham Greene failed get a book in the top 200 of the BBC's Big Read poll (Yet Jeffrey Archer and Helen Fielding did?!)

Sadly, the days of single inventors making scientific breakthroughs in their basements are over. Innovation today is funded by large corporations eg the drug industry.

[littleoldme]

gary baldy - good call on Alan Turing. It's a crying shame that a man who did so much both for tbhe advancement of science and the safety of his country should end his days publicly humiliated and branded as a criminal just because of his sexuality.

[Drusilla1S]

I have to agree with In a Pickle and suggest Rosalind Franklin. I watched a TV programme about her last year and had never heard of the woman who help lay the foundations for Watson and Cricks work with DNA.

[Fat Boy]

Just like to add my vote to Rosalind Franklin too. I would say that In A Pickle & Drusilla are actually being very diplomatic about Watson & Crick - the way I see it she had ideas nicked! Oh, and of course it had nothing to do with the fact she was a woman...

In A Pickle - I wonder, did they even have the courtesy to acknowledge your email?

[spacechimp]

I'd say that the problem with Rosalind Franklin is that most people know the name, do they not? I must admit I didn't know what she'd done but it rang a bell.

[CT]

As scientists go, i'd say James Clark Maxwell. Hardly mentioned in comparison to Newton & Einstein, but he was at least as competent.

[jennymac]

Inapickle Try to get a copy of Jeff Goldblum's film Life Story (1987) I watched in UNI and it was all about the DNA story I found it very interesting and also agree that Rosalin Franklin did not get the recognition she deserved or Maurice Wilkins for that matter.

[confusedpink]

I like the idea of a Rosalind Franklin campaign. She sounds very underappreciated. I hate it when you hear about Nobel prizes being handed out to some lucky chump who was in the right place at the right time (did I just say chump?). Lets all start writing to the Nobel committee!

[joko]

perhaps the familiarity of the name stems from "Roosevelt franklin"...similar sound...

[spacechimp]

Nah, it's definitely Rosalind Franklin that rings the bell.

[Dudley]

For me it's the person at Glaxo who formulated the drug Imigran. It changed my life after 45 years of suffering Migraine. And whoever invented electricity, without it we would not be conversing in this way or doing an enormous amount of other things.

[Stu in USA]

What about English bloke who invented the World Wide Web, namely Tim Berners-Lee. His gift to us all and I believe he made not a penny from it.

[Whickerman]

The guy who invented the internet (no, I don't know who it was, but that kinda proves the point?)

And Crispian Mills off Kula Shaker.

[Whickerman]

D'oh! Really should read all the answers before I post.

[spacechimp]

I know why I've heard of Franklin, because she's in my history book lol.