Trivia

Theoretical physicist, 1969 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles. Professor Gell-Mann's "eightfold way" theory brought order to the chaos created by the discovery of some 100 particles in the atom's nucleus. Then he found that all of those particles, including the neutron and proton, are composed of fundamental building blocks that he named "quarks."

He was the youngest son of Jewish immigrants from Austria.

He began studying at Yale when he was 15. He considered majoring in archaeology or linguistics, but his father suggested engineering because it would help him get a job; they compromised on physics. He graduated from Yale at age 18. He earned his doctorate in physics at MIT at age 21.