When we think back to history’s trailblazers, we often picture the faces that we see in our textbooks. But what about the pioneers who were never given credit where credit is due? The activists, inventors, and thinkers whose massive influence shaped entire generations, but were forgotten. In this list we will honor 15 underappreciated figures whose impact has changed the future of humanity.
Vasili Arkhipov
We understand that the Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the scariest times in human history, and one of the reasons it didn’t escalate even further was because of Vasili Arkhipov. Arkhipov was a Soviet Naval officer who stopped a nuclear torpedo from being fired at United States Navy ships in October 1962. Speculations of the repercussions of such a strike are unknown, but what is known is that he stopped an action that could’ve spelled devastation for the world.
Stanislav Petrov
Stanislav Petrov, or otherwise known as “The man who saved the world from nuclear war,” was a lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces. In 1983, the Soviets received a nuclear alarm, which prompted nuclear retaliation that should’ve been followed by Petrov. Suspecting a false alarm, Petrov disobeyed orders and turned out to be right. If he acted differently, a large-scale nuclear war would’ve likely occurred.
Norman Borlaug
Without Norman Borlaug, it is possible millions, if not billions, of people could’ve starved to death. His initiatives began the Green Revolution in the 20th century that doubled the production of wheat in countries like Pakistan and transformed starving nations into food exporters like Mexico. Many know Borlaug as “the father of the Green Revolution” and believe he should be given more credit than he has received.
Maurice Hilleman
Maurice Hilleman, or “the father of modern vaccines,” was a microbiologist who spent his life studying and developing vaccinations. He contributed to the medical world by developing over 40 different vaccines, the most well-known being those for measles, chickenpox, hepatitis A & B, mumps, and Neisseria meningitidis. Some researchers believe his vaccinations save more than 80 million people each year, and that number continues to steadily increase.
Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks’ life, although short-lived, has allowed researchers to study cancer without using the cells of a living human. Lacks is the source of the HeLa cell line, described by scientists as the first cell line that continues reproducing under certain conditions. HeLa cells are still studied today and are seen by many scientists as invaluable to the medical field.
Rosalind Franklin
In our time, DNA is widely taught in schools, but we are not taught who laid the foundations of such an important discovery. Rosalind Franklin, or the “Wronged Heroine,” was a chemist who cultivated the understanding of DNA structures. Her most well-known work is Photo 51, which showed the DNA double helix—the image we’re all familiar with—for the first time.
Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper is a pioneer and one of the most important figures in the history of computer programming. She was the first person to create and then develop machine-independent programming languages. To put that into perspective, high-level programming languages like Java, Python, C, and C++ wouldn’t exist without her contributions.
Bayard Rustin
The movement for civil rights wouldn’t have been as impactful without the work of Bayard Rustin. Rustin was a political activist who led social movements against discrimination of African-Americans and helped strengthen Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership. His most influential act was organizing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
Katherine Johnson
The first mission into space wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Katherine Johnson’s mathematical abilities. Johnson had a 33-year career at NASA, and in that time she oversaw and greatly assisted the first crewed spaceflight, as well as many future missions. She is greatly appreciated by NASA for her impeccable work, but her contributions aren’t recognized by many today.
Chiune Sugihara
Chiune Sugihara is the epitome of a brave diplomat. Sugihara was the vice-consul of Japan in Kaunas, Lithuania, during World War II. He helped thousands of Jews escape Nazi persecution in Europe by providing them with transit visas through Japanese territory. The estimated number of descendants of the people he saved now ranges between 40,000 and 100,000.
Ignaz Semmelweis
Child deaths in 19th-century Europe would’ve never decreased if not for Ignaz Semmelweis’ medical findings. Described as “The Savior of Mothers,” Semmelweis was the first physician to explain that childbed fever, which was often fatal, was also contagious. His strides to ensure proper hand-washing hygiene around newborns decreased the maternal mortality rate from 18% to 2%.
Abraham Wald
Abraham Wald was a mathematician in the 20th century who contributed greatly to the fields of econometrics, geometry, and decision theory. His most important finding was that of sequential analysis, a field he created that is vital to statistics. Sequential analysis was widely used in World War II and was adopted by both sides to determine how to minimize the damage to bomber aircraft.
Malcolm McLean
Commercial transportation and international trade wouldn’t be the same without Malcolm McLean. In the late 20th century, McLean, an American businessman, invented the intermodal shipping container. Today, almost anything transported by ship is placed in a container beforehand. McLean’s invention is one of the most influential in transportation and trade history.
Clair Patterson
Clair Patterson’s life revolved around benefiting those on earth from a health and scientific perspective. His calculation of the age of the earth (4.55 billion years old) using lead-lead dating has gone down as the most accurate figure since its creation. In the 1940s, he changed the world’s perspective on products and gases containing unregulated lead and how they affect the human body and the atmosphere.
Irena Sendler
Irena Sendler sacrificed her safety for the lives of innocent children during World War II. Sendler was the head of the Polish Underground Resistance’s children’s section. She and her associates smuggled children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, handing them false identification documents and placing them in the care of nun convents, orphanages, and families. It is estimated that Sendler saved 2,500 children from becoming victims of the Holocaust.
