Daniel Colladon

Born and Died: 1802 – 1893

Country: Switzerland

Scientific Field(s): Physicist

Short Bio: Daniel Colladon studied the law but decided that Physics was too interesting of a career to pass up. He worked with greats like Ampere (popular with musicians because of the whole amp thing) and Fourier (popular with sleep-deprived physics students because of the whole Fourier transform thing). If that was all, we probably wouldn't have a bio on him, but…he did more than just work with greats.

Colladon's best known for his experiments that led to the discovery of modern optical fiber theory. The Sinking of the Titanic was pretty much avoidable, and most people at the time blamed icebergs, inspiring scientists to search for early warning and navigation systems. Daniel Colladon was one of those clever innovators, dropping bells underwater to see how long it took sound to travel. Because of his research, we were later able to implement a sonar system 90 years later.

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Lewis Nixon

Born and Died: 1861 – 1940

Country: U.S.A.

Scientific Field(s): Naval architect

Short Bio: Lewis Nixon was kind-of a big deal in the U.S. Navy. As a naval officer, civil servant, and inventor, Nixon designed ships for both the Navy and later a company he founded. Before that, though, he graduated first in his class for both the Naval Academy and the Royal Naval College where he earned his Naval Architecture Master's degree. Before he was done, Nixon owned several successful personal businesses, served as a delegate for many political assignments, and acted as president or board member of many American-owned businesses. He also oversaw the production of the United States' first submarine fleet.

That means you can thank him for Hunt for Red October.

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As far as sonar's concerned, Nixon was credited with inventing the very first Sonar-type listening device in 1906 in order to detect icebergs.

Paul Langévin

Born and Died: 1872 – 1946

Country: France

Scientific Field(s): Physics

Short Bio: Paul Langévin, better known as the scientist Marie Curie said, "Call Me, Maybe," to after her husband passed away, did some groundbreaking work in the world of sonar. Before he maybe could have possibly had an affair with the woman who developed the theory of radioactivity, Langévin worked for her husband, Pierre, in Paris.

In 1915, Langévin tried to help during World War I by inventing the first sonar-type system for detecting submarines, which he called "echolocation to detect submarines," except…in French. He used the piezoelectric properties of the quartz (discovered by—wait for it—Pierre Curie) to develop the echolocation techniques needed for sonar detection. Those techniques—along with the quartz—are also used in making waves for radars, FYI. He was too late to help with the war effort, but Langévin's work inspired future sonar designs.

(Oh, and for the record, even though his affair with Madame Curie didn't work out, their grandchildren, Helene and Michel, got married. That's a love story through the ages if we've ever heard one.)

Dr. Robert H. Rines

Born and Died: 1922 – 2009

Country: U.S.A.

Scientific Field(s): Physics, Cryptozoology

Short Bio: Robert H. Rines was a lawyer, physicist, and inventor from Boston, Massachusetts. Talk about a polymath.

His invention of high-resolution radar and sonar and gave him an induction to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. During World War II, Dr. Rines joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps as an expert in high-resolution image-scanning radar; there, the modulation techniques he invented were essential in building the Army's top-secret Microwave Early Warning System. (Sadly, this system was less about giving you a heads-up about your Hot Pocket spraying you with molten cheese and more about using wave movements to understand spaces.)

Rines held more than 60 patents and his sonar inventions were used in locating both the Titanic and the Bismarck. You'll also see his work when you want a noninvasive way to see your insides, since his work was fundamental to ultrasound imaging. A whole lot of his work was actually made in attempts to catch the Loch Ness Monster once and for all. Although he worked hard to find the Loch Ness monster using his state-of-the-art inventions, he was never able to find her.

At least all those patents are a pretty good consolation prize.

Besides doing all that work for sonar, radar, and ultrasound, Rines founded the Academy of Applied Science .

Sir Isaac Newton

Born and Died: 1642 – 1727

Country: U.K.

Scientific Field(s): Mathematics, Astronomy, Philosophy, Physics

Short Bio: Sir Isaac Newton overcame a lot of odds to establish some hefty fundamentals in math and science. And we mean a lot of odds. Born small and abandoned by his mother when she remarried, Newton had still managed to make it to Trinity College. It wasn't until Trinity College was closed from a Plague outbreak that Newton had enough downtime to develop calculus, NBD.

He also was one of the first who believed that sound was made of mechanical waves that relied on pressure to move through the air. This concept was controversial—just like many groundbreaking theories, whether true or false—but we know who won that battle in the end. Those who knew him probably felt that he was a little too humble, often crediting others for his own accomplishments.

He was also obsessed with alchemy and the occult, to the point where people today still call him a heretic. Details.