Re:Betty Shannon, Unsung Mathematical Genius
by gwern on Tuesday July 25, 2017 @11:50PM
(#14853557)
Which of Shannon, Godel, Turing, von Neumann, Noether, Hilbert, Einstein, Dirac, or de Broglie are you implying were not regarded as giants in their own times?
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Re:Betty Shannon, Unsung Mathematical Genius
by jonnybgood on Wednesday July 26, 2017 @12:40AM
(#14853688)
I wasn't clear. I read 'scientific giant' as a 'scientific giant to general society' (those who start touching pop culture/media) as opposed to giant only in their field. For example, Shannon and Turing became giants to general society later on. Very few during their time knew the world of today that Shannon and Turing were creating. Shannon and Turing are only recently being recognized (hollywood films and biographies) in general society because we all now undoubtedly live in their world. And that is arguably why we're now learning about Betty Shannon.
Re:Betty Shannon, Unsung Mathematical Genius
by jacobolus on Wednesday July 26, 2017 @02:34AM
(#14854050)
Maybe you missed reading the article under discussion?
> His name has faded in our era, but in mid-20th century America, Claude Elwood Shannon of Bell Telephone Laboratories was a bona fide scientific star. In 1954, for example, Fortune featured Shannon in a list of the nation’s 20 most important scientists, alongside future Nobel Laureates Richard Feynman and James Watson, among others. Shannon also made the pages of Time and Life magazines, appeared on national television, and even earned a spread in Vogue, complete with a photo shoot by the renowned Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Re:Betty Shannon, Unsung Mathematical Genius
by empath75 on Wednesday July 26, 2017 @09:34AM
(#14856047)
Being recognized within your field and the field itself being widely recognized are two different things. It takes a while for the public at large to recognize the importance of their contributions.