History of science Memes

Posts tagged with History of science

Physics Was Almost Completed In The 1880s

Physics Was Almost Completed In The 1880s
The 1880s physicist: "We've figured out all of physics with these beautiful classical mechanics equations!" *One tiny ultraviolet catastrophe has entered the chat* This is the ultimate physics hubris smackdown! Late 19th century physicists genuinely believed they had nearly completed physics, with just a few "minor details" to iron out. Then came the ultraviolet catastrophe - where classical theory predicted infinite energy at short wavelengths (which would literally cook us all). This single spectral anomaly led to quantum mechanics, relativity, and completely revolutionized our understanding of reality. Talk about being humbled by a graph!

Friedrich Wöhler's Epic Chemistry Mic Drop

Friedrich Wöhler's Epic Chemistry Mic Drop
That moment when you synthesize urea from inorganic compounds and single-handedly demolish vitalism theory. Wöhler basically looked at the entire scientific establishment and said, "Your belief that organic compounds require a 'vital force' from living organisms? I just made that in a test tube." Revolutionary doesn't even begin to cover it. The face says it all—scientific mic drop of the 19th century.

The Great Academic Shrinkage

The Great Academic Shrinkage
The academic evolution is REAL, folks! Back in ye olden days, scholars were absolute units who casually revolutionized multiple fields before breakfast. "Oh, I just invented calculus while thinking about apples. NBD." Meanwhile, modern academics are hyper-specialized creatures defending tiny research territories like it's the last crumb at a conference buffet. "Please don't ask me about wheat prices in 1877—that's outside my scope!" The narrowing of expertise isn't just a trend—it's practically a survival mechanism in today's publish-or-perish academic thunderdome! The confidence-to-knowledge ratio has completely flipped, and honestly? It's hilariously tragic.

Rip Those Symbols

Rip Those Symbols
Poor John Dalton thought he was revolutionizing chemistry with his element symbols, only to have Berzelius swoop in with a better system! In 1803, Dalton created circular symbols for elements in his atomic theory work, feeling super proud. Then Jöns Jacob Berzelius came along in 1813 with those one or two-letter abbreviations we all know today (H, O, Na, etc.) and BOOM—Dalton's symbols became chemistry's equivalent of Betamax tapes. Chemistry's greatest ghosting story! The scientific equivalent of spending hours on your outfit only to have someone else show up in something way cooler. 💔

Euler: The Mathematical Overachiever

Euler: The Mathematical Overachiever
The look of pure panic when you realize Leonhard Euler was basically the Thomas Edison of mathematics. The quiz question is hilariously impossible because Euler had his brilliant fingers in everything - fluid mechanics, continuum mechanics, and even laid groundwork for Lagrangian mechanics. Meanwhile, F=ma is Newton's second law, making it the only correct answer despite being the most basic formula on the board. That's the mathematical equivalent of asking "which of these isn't a Beatles song?" and including "Happy Birthday." The man invented so many formulas they ran out of letters and started using other alphabets. Some mathematicians just publish papers; Euler published entire branches of mathematics.

Euler: The Mathematical Wrecking Ball

Euler: The Mathematical Wrecking Ball
Leonhard Euler was the original mathematical wrecking ball! The meme perfectly captures how this 18th-century genius would just DEMOLISH entire mathematical fields with his brilliance. The moment any new area of math or physics dared to exist, Euler would crash through like that demon boar, leaving broken formulas and shattered theorems everywhere! The man literally has SEVEN fundamental constants named after him. Talk about leaving your mark! He was basically mathematics' first rockstar, but instead of trashing hotel rooms, he trashed unsolved problems. 😂

Looking Up The History Of Anything In Math And Physics Named After Someone Else

Looking Up The History Of Anything In Math And Physics Named After Someone Else
The mathematical version of the Wild West standoff! Dig into the history of any mathematical theorem or physical law, and you'll inevitably find that either Euler or Gauss probably did it first. These two were basically the mathematical equivalent of that kid who raises their hand for every question in class. The creepy face just captures that moment when you realize your "new discovery" was actually solved by one of these guys 200+ years ago. Gauss casually invented entire fields of mathematics before breakfast, while Euler was so prolific that mathematicians started naming things after the second person who discovered them just to give others a chance.

If I Have Seen Further, It's By Process Of Elimination

If I Have Seen Further, It's By Process Of Elimination
Newton's famous quote "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" gets a hilariously literal interpretation here. The comic explores all possible permutations of this metaphor - from a giant standing on Newton's shoulders (crushing him), to Newton giving a giant a shoulder to cry on (awkward), to Newton being a giant himself (nope), until finally landing on the correct interpretation: Newton intellectually standing on the achievements of his predecessors. Scientific progress in stick figure form - the peer review would be merciless.

The Golden Discovery That Was Actually Pee

The Golden Discovery That Was Actually Pee
Hennig Brand, the 17th century alchemist who discovered phosphorus, literally boiled down 1,500 gallons of human urine in his basement trying to make gold. Instead, he got a glowing white substance that burst into flames when exposed to air. Science history's most successful failure. The yellow water in the image perfectly captures what his neighbors probably thought was happening when they saw the glow from his windows at night. Turns out the path to elemental discovery is paved with bodily fluids and questionable life choices.

Laws Of Attraction

Laws Of Attraction
Newton's out here dropping physics puns AND thirst traps! 🌈 In this historical remix, Sir Isaac is admiring thicc light spectrums through his prism experiment, but can't exactly publish "I like them thicc af" in the Royal Society journals. Instead, he cleverly rephrases it as his law of universal gravitation: "the greater the mass, the greater the force of attraction." Basically the 17th century equivalent of sliding into DMs with a science pickup line! Gravity isn't just bringing apples down—it's bringing smooth physics game up! 💫

The Great pH Mystery

The Great pH Mystery
When chemist Søren Sørensen invented the pH scale in 1909, he took the ultimate scientific power move - refusing to explain what the "p" actually stands for. The scientific community has been collectively scratching their heads for over a century! Some say it's "potential," others argue "power" (from German "Potenz"), while a few insist it's just "p" for "please stop asking me questions." The beautiful irony? A measurement system designed for precision has an origin story vaguer than your friend's excuse for missing your birthday party.

The Quantum Train Wreck

The Quantum Train Wreck
Lord Kelvin declared physics was basically finished in 1900, and then Einstein, Bohr, Schrödinger, and Planck promptly rolled up like a quantum wrecking crew. It's like saying "the library is complete" right before someone invents the internet. Kelvin's "nothing new to discover" statement might be the greatest scientific face-plant in history—right up there with "heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible" and "I'll never need more than 640K of RAM." The quantum revolution wasn't just coming—it was already honking its horn at the intersection.