Thomas Young
1773–1829 · British · Enlightenment / Romantic Era
Known for: Proved the wave nature of light with the double-slit experiment; helped decipher the Rosetta Stone
Thomas Young was perhaps the last person who could claim to know everything. He was a physician, physicist, Egyptologist, and linguist who spoke 13 languages by age 20. His double-slit experiment proving light's wave nature is one of the most important experiments in physics.
He also made the first significant progress on the Rosetta Stone before Champollion completed the decipherment. He published some work anonymously because he feared damaging his medical practice.
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