Who do you think was the greatest inventor/mathematician/professor ever?
I think it should be Nico Tesla,(you gotta google this guy) the man who was never truly recognized for his inventions(like erm, the electric lines you see outside your window).
It's Da Vinci, and Einstein, you guys, and the latter never really invented anything.
Although not an "inventor" in the strict sense of the word, I'd have to choose Shigeru Miyamoto. He basically invented the modern video game with franchises like Mario, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, etc.
Every era has its great inventors. These are people who aren't afraid to try something new, go against the status quo, and risk being ostracized by the majority.
Invention and innovation are a process whereby one builds upon the work of others and adds something of themselves into it.
I tend to think the greats were the ancients, who had only very basic tools, and had to make every piece from scratch.
I would probably say the 2 or 3 guys that invented the transistor. Without it we would not be able to compute, play games, etc. Revolutionized the world.
Being half greek i am therefore biased and would say archimedes, however is this of actual physical inventions or does it involve theorists and thinkers? If it did i would say Karl Marx for inventing the Marxist Determinist view, this concept of communism changed the face of the 20th century.
