Sir Arthur Eddington

Einstein might never have become a worldwide celebrity had it not been for the English astrophysicist Arthur Eddington. Eddington was one of the first scientists to understand and confirm Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. In 1919, Eddington led an expedition to observe a solar eclipse. His results showed that gravity will bend a ray of light when it passes near a massive star.

Image credits: main image, ©AMNH/Eric Hamilton; quote: © AMNH/Eric Hamilton.