wanted to post the story of Poincare convincing his brother President Poincare to make a better professorship for some famous Polish?Czech? scientist (Riesz?) one of France's reparation claims after WW I, but can't find any details... anyone knows whether this true/ knows the details?
personal favorite Magician/Mathematician Persi Diaconis
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2004...iaconis-69.html
speaking of Gödel, for recently deceased Paul Cohen
(His twin sons Steven and Eric played the Dancing Twins on the TV show Ally McBeal, i learn on wikipedia)
(and Cantor and Hausdorff and..., no physicists on this list, never REALLY understood why people bother with this type of stuff; appreciate computers and electric light though)