Scholarly all-stars!

August is back-to-school month, so put on those thinking caps and test your knowledge of the world’s greatest scholarly minds.

1. This scientific scholar ran afoul of the Catholic Church for his theory that Earth revolves around the sun and as a result spent the last nine years of his life under Vatican-imposed house arrest.
   1. Galileo
   2. Michelangelo
   3. Copernicus
   4. Urban VIII
2. Born in Ulm, Germany, this Nobel-winning scientist became a U.S. citizen in 1940 and is known for his impact on modern theoretical physics.
   1. J. Robert Oppenheimer
   2. Werner von Braun
   3. Albert Einstein
   4. Erwin Schrödinger
3. This scholar became known as the father of modern economics as the result of his book, The Wealth of Nations, first published in 1776.
   1. Karl Marx
   2. Alexander Hamilton
   3. Adam Smith
   4. Thomas Jefferson
4. Which philosopher is best known for his work The Republic, where he outlines his vision of a just society?
   1. Socrates
   2. Plato
   3. Aristotle
   4. Epicurus
5. This physician and educator is acclaimed for designing a teaching method, learning materials and classroom environment that fostered children’s natural desire to learn and provided freedom for them to study independently.
   1. Dr. Benjamin Spock
   2. Jean Piaget
   3. Maria Montessori
   4. Abraham Maslow
6. An errant obituary prompted this chemist and inventor to bequeath his fortune to establish an international prize recognizing important contributions to humankind.
   1. Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours
   2. Pierre Curie
   3. Harvey Firestone
   4. Alfred Nobel



7. Famous for his Jekyll-and-Hyde-inspired film role as a hapless college educator, this actor/director was a real-life professor at University of Southern California.
   1. Charlie Chaplin
   2. Jerry Lewis
   3. Jimmy Stewart
   4. Bob Hope
8. TV supervillain Walter White of the series Breaking Bad adopted a nom de guerre in homage to this 20th century physicist who formulated the uncertainty principle.
   1. Werner Heisenberg
   2. Albert Einstein
   3. Werner von Braun
   4. Erwin Schrödinger
9. Although he’s known as a preeminent naturalist and biologist, this scholar’s five-year voyage aboard the HMS Beagle was focused on a geological survey.
   1. John Duns Scotus
   2. Henry Gray
   3. Guy Fawkes
   4. Charles Darwin
10. This 16th century polymath was an accomplished artist, engineer, scientist and architect—the very definition of a Renaissance man.
    1. Christopher Wren
    2. Arturo Toscanini
    3. Leonardo da Vinci
    4. Michelangelo

1. Galileo Galilei, born in Pisa in 1564 and regarded as the father of observational astronomy, developed the theory of heliocentrism—Earth revolving around the sun—in conflict with interpretation of sacred scripture. Pope Urban VIII wasn’t amused.
2. Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time. Best known for developing his theory of relativity, Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect and his contributions to theoretical physics.
3. Scottish scholar Adam Smith compiled 17 years’ worth of study into The Wealth of Nations, which influenced Alexander Hamilton, Karl Marx and other economists.
4. The Republic was written by Plato around 375 BC. His best known work, it concerns justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. It is regarded among the world’s most influential works of philosophy and political science.
5. Maria Montessori led a training institute for special education teachers in 1900 and used her scientific observations to develop the “Montessori Method” of early childhood education. Schools bearing her name have been established worldwide.
6. Legend has it that after he read his mistakenly published obituary condemning his invention of military explosives, Alfred Nobel decided to reform his legacy by establishing the Nobel Prize, first awarded in 1901. Although the prize is real, historians have been unable to verify the story behind it.
7. Star of The Nutty Professor, actor/director Jerry Lewis taught a film directing class at USC’s Los Angeles campus beginning in 1967.
8. A nerdy scientist at heart, drug kingpin Walter White adopted the moniker Heisenberg for his ruthless alter ego.
9. Charles Darwin was puzzled by the geological distribution of fauna and fossils during his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle. His follow-up studies would lead to the publication of his breakthrough book On the Origin of Species that presented his theories of natural selection and evolution.
10. His artistic credits include The Last Supper and Mona Lisa. It’s Leonardo da Vinci.