LEARN: From Great Putty Thinkers

Thinking Putty® is first and foremost about thinking, i.e. developing your memory and creativity through play. We're often inspired by the great minds of the past and present —like Einstein, Nikoli Tesla, Marie Curie, and Aristotle to name a few — And we decided to spotlight a few of these great thinkers in a series highlighting their work and contributions to science.

Great thinking also requires looking towards the future, and that's where you come in! For all of you out there using Thinking Putty to shape some ingenious ideas of your own, we'd love to hear some of your thoughts about how we could make Thinking Putty even more fun and who you look up to for inspiration and discovery in science. Share your thoughts by tagging us @ThinkingPutty on Facebook and Twitter, or post a pic of your idea on Instagram using #PuttyThinking. 

Episode 1

Sir Issac Newton
We talk about Sir Issac Newton, his achievements, and what Crazy Aaron finds interesting about his life.

Episode 2

Marie Curie
I  chose Marie Curie. Marie was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She is the only woman to have won two Nobel Prizes. 

Episode 3

The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers have a special place in my heart.  Like me, they were self-taught.  And because they were self-taught they never learned the things they shouldn't try.  They just got down to work and experimented directly, tweaking things until they got results.  So many men with great engineering educations and men of means had tried to build a powered flying machine and failed.  The establishment was infuriated that two nobody's from Ohio made it work! 

Episode 4

Albert Einstein

I am always a big fan of individuals who make a major contribution outside their particular field of study...who arrive at their destination without taking the pre-esablished route.  The German system of education, professorship and promotion was quite rigid.  In Einstein's case, he had only an undergraduate education and was not particularly expected to excel by his peers or professors upon graduation.  Working as a patent clerk to make ends meet, at age 26, he dropped four scientific papers representing the greatest single leap forward since Newton.  And yet, once published, it took years for their significance in reshaping our view of the world to be realized.