# Greatest Scientists: Elimination Game **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [January 5, 2018, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909 "2018-01-05T11:12:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/1 "2018-01-05T11:12:33Z")
_**[SIZE=“5”][COLOR=“Red”]At last! SDMB Members and Guests will identify the Greatest Scientists Ever![/SIZE][/COLOR]**_ In last year’s [nomination and early eliminations thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=840964) Dopers have whittled the List of Great Scientists down to 44 names. We will continue with eliminations, ranking these scientists in order, until only one Greatest Scientist is left standing. _ **Remember to “lobby” for your choice of Greatest Scientist if he or she gets Evict votes too early!** _ \*\*\*Each participant has seven votes (although this number may be reduced gradually as the game progresses). \*\*\* You can cast six Evict (elimination) votes and one Keep vote, or five Evicts and two Keeps. The Moderator (me) is not allowed to vote, but will arbitrate the various rules and possibly break ties. A minimum of three Evict votes (or four Evicts if there is a Keep vote) is needed to eliminate a scientist, but the threshold will probably be higher in any given round. After the first week, vote tallies will be taken at 12:30 pm New York time on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (three elimination rounds per week), but for the first week, to give time for participants to get involved, there will be just _ **two vote tallies: on Tuesday January 9 and Friday January 12,** _ each at 12:30 pm EST. _ **Please send PMs to everyone you know and encourage them to participate!** _ 🆒 Here, in chronological order by birth year, are the 44 Finalists for the title of Greatest Scientist: 300 BC Euclid - math 287 BC Archimedes - math, physics 267 BC Eratosthenes - math, astronomy 1473 Copernicus, Nicolas - astronomy 1514 Vesalius, Andreas - founder of anatomical sciences 1564 Galileo - physics, astronomy, etc. 1571 Kepler, Johannes - astronomy, math 1607 Fermat, Pierre de - math, optics 1627 Boyle, Robert - chemistry, physics 1629 Huygens, Christiaan - optics, physics 1632 Leeuwenhoek, Antonie van - microbiology, microscopy 1642 Newton, Sir Isaac - math, physics 1646 Leibnitz, Gottfried - math, physics, etc. 1706 Franklin, Benjamin - physics, etc. 1707 Euler, Leonhard - math 1707 Linnaeus, Carolus - botany, taxonomy 1743 Lavoisier, Antoine - chemistry 1745 Volta, Alessandro - chemistry, physics 1777 Gauss, Karl - math, astronomy 1791 Faraday, Michael - electromagnetism, etc. 1809 Darwin, Charles - biology 1813 Bernard, Claude - physiology 1822 Mendel, Gregor - genetics 1822 Pasteur, Louis - chemistry, biology 1831 Maxwell, James Clerk - physics 1834 Mendeleev, Dmitri - chemistry 1856 Tesla, Nicolai - physics, invention 1858 Planck, Max - quantum physics 1858 Boas, Franz - anthropology 1867 Curie, Marie - radioactivity 1871 Rutherford, Ernest - nuclear physics, atomic theory, radioactivity. 1878 Meitner, Lise - atomic physics 1879 Einstein, Albert - physics 1885 Bohr, Niels - atomic physics 1889 Hubble, Edwin - astronomy 1901 Pauling, Linus - chemistry 1901 Fermi, Enrico - atomic physics 1901 Heisenberg, Werner - quantum theory 1903 Neumann, John von - computer science, etc. 1912 Turing, Alan - computer science, etc. 1914 Salk, Jonas - medicine, vaccination 1918 Feynman, Richard - physics 1920 Franklin, Rosalind - chemistry, X-ray crystallography 1928 Watson, James - Dna (A list of 50 Finalists might be nicer — it’s a rounder number — so the Moderator will provide a list of six eliminees in a subsequent post. But only these 44 are eligible going forward.) If you prefer, here is the same list in alphabetic order: Archimedes - math, physics Bernard, Claude - physiology Boas, Franz - anthropology Bohr, Niels - atomic physics Boyle, Robert - chemistry, physics Copernicus, Nicolas - astronomy Curie, Marie - radioactivity Darwin, Charles - biology Einstein, Albert - physics Eratosthenes - math, astronomy Euclid - math Euler, Leonhard - math Faraday, Michael - electromagnetism, etc. Fermat, Pierre de - math, optics Fermi, Enrico - atomic physics Feynman, Richard - physics Franklin, Benjamin - physics, etc. Franklin, Rosalind - chemistry, X-ray crystallography Galileo - physics, astronomy, etc. Gauss, Karl - math, astronomy Heisenberg, Werner - quantum theory Hubble, Edwin - astronomy Huygens, Christiaan - optics, physics Kepler, Johannes - astronomy, math Lavoisier, Antoine - chemistry Leeuwenhoek, Antonie van - microbiology, microscopy Leibnitz, Gottfried - math, physics, etc. Linnaeus, Carolus - botany, taxonomy Maxwell, James Clerk - physics Meitner, Lise - atomic physics Mendel, Gregor - genetics Mendeleev, Dmitri - chemistry Neumann, John von - computer science, etc. Newton, Sir Isaac - math, physics Pasteur, Louis - chemistry, biology Pauling, Linus - chemistry Planck, Max - quantum physics Rutherford, Ernest - nuclear physics, atomic theory, radioactivity. Salk, Jonas - medicine, vaccination Tesla, Nicolai - physics, invention Turing, Alan - computer science, etc. Vesalius, Andreas - founder of anatomical sciences Volta, Alessandro - chemistry, physics Watson, James - Dna And please do give thanks to the diligent Dopers who’ve already helped with the tedious task of whittling an original list of 136 down to 44 Finalists. 🙂 [You can see the 92 scientists already eliminated in this post.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20647049&postcount=245) ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/2 "2018-01-05T13:25:31Z")
On with our Twelfth Night revels, then. Eliminate: 1. Franklin, Rosalind 2. Neumann, John van 3. Pauling, Linus 4. Meitner, Lise 5. Boas, Franz 6. Bernard, Claude ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/3 "2018-01-06T12:49:03Z")
Eliminate: 1. Boas 2. Meitner 3. Salk 4. Franklin 5. Tesla 6. Bernard ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/4 "2018-01-06T22:37:37Z")
Eliminate: Ben Franklin, despite his all around likeability Tesla Leibnitz Fermat, Pierre de - math, optics Meitner, Lise Keep: For 2 rounds at most. Boas Franklin, Rosalin (DNA) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/5 "2018-01-07T02:58:22Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > On with our Twelfth Night revels, then. > > Eliminate: > > 1. Franklin, Rosalind > 2. Neumann, John van > 3. Pauling, Linus > 4. Meitner, Lise > 5. Boas, Franz > 6. Bernard, Claude My votes are the same. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/6 "2018-01-07T03:46:52Z")
**Eliminate** Franklin, Rosalind Neumann, John van Pauling, Linus Meitner, Lise Boas, Franz \*\*Keep \*\* Tesla Ben Franklin ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/7 "2018-01-07T07:36:57Z")
This is getting SO HARD! Out the door… Rosalind Franklin Claude Bernard Franz Boas Edwin Hubble Christiaan Huygens And… yes it is now time to let go of Meitner. Bye Lise. I will reserve my Keep vote - nobody this round I think undeservedly in danger ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/8 "2018-01-07T14:46:03Z")
_ **Remember that you can change your votes at any time; you can submit voting instructions in advance; etc.** _ Without contrary instructions your votes in this or any round will be your default votes for future rounds as well. > [@Quartz](#): > > Eliminate: > … > 4. Franklin > … To avoid any charge of sexism, I IGNORE this vote, and ignore any future vote on plain “Franklin” until either Benjamin or Rosalind has been eliminated. With that “Franklin” vote ignored, Scientists currently with 3 or more Evict votes are Meitner, Lise : 6 Bernard, Claude : 4 Boas, Franz : 5-1 Neumann, John von : 3 Pauling, Linus : 3 Franklin, Rosalind : 4-1 Suppose hypothetically that this is the final tally for this round. Should only Meitner be eliminated? Or would players prefer a faster game where Bernard and Boas are evicted as well? I await feedback to help me tune the eviction process. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/9 "2018-01-07T20:09:22Z")
At this point, I’d go with the faster prospect, and eliminate the top three. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/10 "2018-01-07T20:55:51Z")
Agreed ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/11 "2018-01-08T03:43:49Z")
Eliminate: Bernard Boas Feynman Franklin, Rosalind Meitner Pauling Keep: Leeuwenhoek I’ll add to the growing consensus that the “fast track” should be taken. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/12 "2018-01-09T04:49:36Z")
I vote slow track, with wishful hopes that it would attract occasional posters. No worries though. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/13 "2018-01-09T17:20:16Z")
**Round One is over.** The top three vote-getters are eliminated. [del] **Meitner, Lise** [/del] : 7 [del] **Bernard, Claude** [/del] : 5 [del] **Boas, Franz** [/del] : 6-1 Pauling, Linus : 4 Franklin, Rosalind : 5-1 Neumann, John von : 3 Tesla, Nicolai : 2-1 Fermat, Pierre de : 1 Hubble, Edwin : 1 Huygens, Christiaan : 1 Leibnitz, Gottfried : 1 Salk, Jonas : 1 Feynman, Richard : 1 Franklin, Benjamin : 1-1 Leeuwenhoek, Antonie v. : 0-1 **Round Two will end about 12:30 pm EST on Friday, January 12. For Round Two, again you may cast six Evict (elimination) votes and one Keep vote, or five Evicts and two Keeps.** Forty-one Scientists remain in contention: **Archimedes - math, physics Bohr, Niels - atomic physics Boyle, Robert - chemistry, physics Copernicus, Nicolas - astronomy Curie, Marie - radioactivity Darwin, Charles - biology Einstein, Albert - physics Eratosthenes - math, astronomy Euclid - math Euler, Leonhard - math Faraday, Michael - electromagnetism, etc. Fermat, Pierre de - math, optics Fermi, Enrico - atomic physics Feynman, Richard - physics Franklin, Benjamin - physics, etc. Franklin, Rosalind - chemistry, X-ray crystallography Galileo - physics, astronomy, etc. Gauss, Karl - math, astronomy Heisenberg, Werner - quantum theory Hubble, Edwin - astronomy Huygens, Christiaan - optics, physics Kepler, Johannes - astronomy, math Lavoisier, Antoine - chemistry Leeuwenhoek, Antonie van - microbiology, microscopy Leibnitz, Gottfried - math, physics, etc. Linnaeus, Carolus - botany, taxonomy Maxwell, James Clerk - physics Mendel, Gregor - genetics Mendeleev, Dmitri - chemistry Neumann, John von - computer science, etc. Newton, Sir Isaac - math, physics Pasteur, Louis - chemistry, biology Pauling, Linus - chemistry Planck, Max - quantum physics Rutherford, Ernest - nuclear physics, atomic theory, radioactivity. Salk, Jonas - medicine, vaccination Tesla, Nicolai - physics, invention Turing, Alan - computer science, etc. Vesalius, Andreas - founder of anatomical sciences Volta, Alessandro - chemistry, physics Watson, James - Dna** Top Fifty Scientists who have already been Eliminated:[Spoiler] 42. Boas, Franz - anthropology 43. Bernard, Claude - physiology 44. Meitner, Lise - atomic physics 45. Aristotle - philosophy, geology, biology, etc. 46. Liebig, Justus von - organic chemistry 47. Alhazen Ibn al-Haytham - physics, etc. 48. Boltzmann, Ludwig - thermodynamics 49. Lyell, Charles - geology 50. Dirac, Paul - physics [The Moderator has chosen six early eliminations to round out a lIst of Fifty.] [/Spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/14 "2018-01-09T17:56:45Z")
Evict: Pauling, Linus Franklin, Rosalind Neumann, John von Feynman, Richard Hubble, Edwin Eratosthenes ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/15 "2018-01-09T23:31:57Z")
Evict: Fermi, Enrico Franklin, Rosalind Franklin, Ben Leeuwenhoek, Antonie van Leibnitz I haven’t decided on the 6th. Mendel, Gregor ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/16 "2018-01-11T21:23:49Z")
Eliminate: Fermat Feynman Franklin, Rosalind Neumann Pauling Keep: Eratosthenes Leeuwenhoek ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/17 "2018-01-12T10:05:51Z")
Current votes, including carry-overs, are Franklin, Rosalind : 6-1 Neumann, John von : 4 Pauling, Linus : 4 Fermat, Pierre de : 2 Feynman, Richard : 2 Hubble, Edwin : 2 Leibnitz, Gottfried : 2 Fermi, Enrico : 1 Huygens, Christiaan : 1 Mendel, Gregor : 1 Franklin, Benjamin : 2-1 Eratosthenes : 1-1 Leeuwenhoek, Antonie v. : 1-1 Tesla, Nicolai : 1-1 With no change, the first three scientists listed above will be evicted. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/18 "2018-01-12T10:22:58Z")
At this point in the game, I’m preferencing people on criteria of groundbreaking ideas, balance between theory and practise, and amount of output. Five picks of those who did great work in an existing field: Rosalind Franklin Edwin Hubble Christiaan Huygens Antoine van Leeuwenhoek Nicola Tesla And one whose work was significant and groundbreaking, but comparatively (compared to other contestants) limited in scope: Gregor Mendel No Keep votes. Shuffle 'em out the door 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/19 "2018-01-12T15:20:59Z")
\*\*Please evict: \*\* Fermat, Pierre de Feynman, Richard Hubble, Edwin Leibnitz, Gottfried Gregor Mendel **Keep:** Tesla Ben Franklin ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909/20 "2018-01-12T18:01:24Z")
**Round Two is over.** Faced with the choice of evicting 1 or evicting 8, Moderator chooses the less bloodthirsty option. Our penultimate female is the sole eliminee. [del]Franklin, Rosalind[/del] : 5-1 Fermat, Pierre de : 3 Feynman, Richard : 3 Hubble, Edwin : 3 Neumann, John von : 3 Leibnitz, Gottfried : 3 Mendel, Gregor : 3 Pauling, Linus : 3 Fermi, Enrico : 1 Huygens, Christiaan : 1 Franklin, Benjamin : 2-1 Leeuwenhoek, Antonie v. : 2-1 Tesla, Nicolai : 2-1 Eratosthenes : 1-1 **Round Three will end about 12:30 pm EST on Monday, January 15. For Round Three, again you may cast six Evict (elimination) votes and one Keep vote, or five Evicts and two Keeps.** Forty Scientists remain in contention: **Archimedes - math, physics Bohr, Niels - atomic physics Boyle, Robert - chemistry, physics Copernicus, Nicolas - astronomy Curie, Marie - radioactivity Darwin, Charles - biology Einstein, Albert - physics Eratosthenes - math, astronomy Euclid - math Euler, Leonhard - math Faraday, Michael - electromagnetism, etc. Fermat, Pierre de - math, optics Fermi, Enrico - atomic physics Feynman, Richard - physics Franklin, Benjamin - physics, etc. Galileo - physics, astronomy, etc. Gauss, Karl - math, astronomy Heisenberg, Werner - quantum theory Hubble, Edwin - astronomy Huygens, Christiaan - optics, physics Kepler, Johannes - astronomy, math Lavoisier, Antoine - chemistry Leeuwenhoek, Antonie van - microbiology, microscopy Leibnitz, Gottfried - math, physics, etc. Linnaeus, Carolus - botany, taxonomy Maxwell, James Clerk - physics Mendel, Gregor - genetics Mendeleev, Dmitri - chemistry Neumann, John von - computer science, etc. Newton, Sir Isaac - math, physics Pasteur, Louis - chemistry, biology Pauling, Linus - chemistry Planck, Max - quantum physics Rutherford, Ernest - nuclear physics, atomic theory, radioactivity. Salk, Jonas - medicine, vaccination Tesla, Nicolai - physics, invention Turing, Alan - computer science, etc. Vesalius, Andreas - founder of anatomical sciences Volta, Alessandro - chemistry, physics Watson, James - Dna** Top Fifty Scientists who have already been Eliminated: 41. Franklin, Rosalind - chemistry, X-ray crystallography 42. Boas, Franz - anthropology 43. Bernard, Claude - physiology 44. Meitner, Lise - atomic physics 45. Aristotle - philosophy, geology, biology, etc. 46. Liebig, Justus von - organic chemistry 47. Alhazen Ibn al-Haytham - physics, etc. 48. Boltzmann, Ludwig - thermodynamics 49. Lyell, Charles - geology 50. Dirac, Paul - physics [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-scientists-elimination-game/805909.md?page=2)