Hans Bethe
If I asked you to name some famous physicist (If you had asked me the same question, as well), you would probably generate a list of the giants: Newton, Einstein, Hawking… perhaps Bohr, or Oppenheimer; The “Rock Stars,” of Physics. (Seriously, Stephen Hawking gets a rock star’s welcome everywhere he goes. Except maybe an American classroom… but that’s another story. Check him out in Beijiing.) But you probably wouldn’t have named the German Hans Bethe, who’s career “spans the evolution of nuclear physics as we know it today.”
Bethe came to America as a refugee from Nazi Germany, and was part of the Manhattan Project. Basically his entire career has been spent building up the Cornell University Physics department, who still remain cutting edge in the field of high energy elementary particle physics… er… that being the study of the basic “stuff” everything is made of (elementary particles), the reactions between matter and energy (radiation) of such particles (physics). These particles don’t occur normally in nature, but can be created and detected in high energy impacts. That’s why we have particle accelerators: Like seeing what a car is made of by smashing two together. Just a lot smaller. 
Even in his 90s, he was still active in educating physics newbs on Quantum Mechanics (How things work at extremely small scales). Anywho, I think he was a cool guy and wanted to share some links with you all.
:: Related Extras ::
- Cornell Lectures – Given at age 93 in 1999, 6 years before his death. The topic: “Quantum Physics Made Relatively Simple.” A play on words? Probably not. I got a giggle out of it though. O_o
- Wikipedia – A more detailed biography than the one at Cornell.
- Bethe-Bloch formula – “approximates the energy-loss by ionization of heavy charged particles traversing matter” At least that’s what they say. I just think it’s cool he’s got a formula named after him.
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