Ludwig Boltzmann
1844–1906 · Austrian · Victorian Era
Known for: Founded statistical mechanics, linking atomic behavior to macroscopic properties of matter
Ludwig Boltzmann's statistical interpretation of thermodynamics was one of the most important ideas in physics—and it nearly destroyed him. His formula S = k log W (entropy equals Boltzmann's constant times the log of the number of microstates) is inscribed on his tombstone.
He was attacked by prominent physicists who didn't believe in atoms—Ernst Mach and Wilhelm Ostwald. He fought bitter academic battles defending his work and suffered from bipolar disorder. He hanged himself in 1906, just before experiments definitively confirmed his atomic theory.
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