Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac was an English theoretical physicist who is considered to be one of the founders of quantum mechanics. Dirac laid the foundations for both quantum electrodynamics and quantum field theory, coining the former term.
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Also born on August 8
Athlete
1981 · Switzerland
Roger Federer is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, including a record 237 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.
si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Actor
1937 · United States
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key leading man actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters.
Sara Komatsu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Actor
1949 · United States
Keith Ian Carradine is an American actor. In film, he is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's Nashville, E. J. Bellocq in Louis Malle's Pretty Baby, and Mickey in Alan Rudolph's Choose Me.
Author
1931 · United Kingdom
Sir Roger Penrose is an English mathematician, mathematical physicist, and philosopher of science.
Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Scientist
1901–1958 · United States
Ernest Orlando Lawrence was an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939 for his invention of the cyclotron.
Nobel foundation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Author
1887–1970 · Hungary
Shmuel Yosef Agnon was an Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the nom de plume Shai Agnon. In English, his works are published under the name S. Y. Agnon.
Israeli GPO photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons