What’s inside
Key points
Guided by the joy of physics
Feynman's journey began in 1918 in Far Rockaway, a small town near New York City. He spent his formative childhood years there, learning to explore and appreciate the wonderful world around him. In Far Rockaway, Richard Feynman discovered his love and passion for physics, which guided and motivated him throughout his entire life.
He left his hometown in 1935 to study at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The four years at MIT solidified his feelings about physics and helped him navigate the scientific world. In 1939, he went on to study at Princeton, which turned out to be a life-altering experience for a young scientist. One of the professors there recruited him to join the Manhattan Project — the bid to create the first-ever atomic bomb.
This project took him to Los Alamos, where he spent three years working non-stop at a maddening and impossible pace. Afterward, he worked as a professor at Cornell for a few years before accepting a similar position at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) in 1952. This university was Feynman's final destination and where he conducted his most valuable research.
Feynman's legacy lives on even now, long after his untimely death in 1988. Though a controversial figure, he is undoubtedly an invaluable member of the scientific community because of his all-consuming and infectious passion for physics. In the following chapters of this summary, you'll have the unique opportunity to open the doors to the famous scientist's most exciting and fun adventures.
Did you know? Sheldon Cooper, the main character of the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory, was Feynman's devoted fan, and many of his adventures and quirks were inspired by Feynman's actual biography. The scientist and his work are also constantly referenced in the show.