46. Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal was a polymath who made significant contributions to the fields of theology, philosophy, mathematics, and physics. As a child, he developed a device known as the Pascaline machine – essentially the first modern calculator — to help his father at work. His adult work led to the development of the modern theory of probabilities.
Pascal developed the religious principle of intuitionism, regarding divine knowledge being imparted through the heart rather than merely through the head. He tested hypotheses of greats such as Galileo by conducting experiments with air pressure, leading to later studies in hydrostatics and hydrodynamics.
