Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and holder of 355 patents, established in his 1895 will his wishes to develop the Nobel Prize foundation and the rules under which it should be governed. After his death in 1896, the Prize has been awarded annually since 1901, with the only exceptions coming when Norway was occupied during World War II. Image credit: Nobel Media AB 2016.

Ask Ethan: What Were The Greatest Nobel Prize Snubs In Science History?

This list of 10 non-winners is 50% women, but 100% outrageous.

In science, advances often come in great leaps. In hindsight, it’s easy to identify perhaps hundreds of small steps that led to the momentous discovery, but revolutions seem to happen all at once. That doesn’t mean those responsible for those groundbreaking discoveries are always properly recognized, however. The most prestigious scientific awards are no doubt the Nobel Prizes, and yet even these have spectacularly snubbed some of the most deserving candidates. Who are my picks? That’s what our Patreon supporter, Denier, wants to know:

In this season of award shows where there is talk over who deserved to be nominated and who was snubbed, I wanted to know your pick for scientists who deserved a Nobel or a share of a Nobel but was snubbed by the committee. For my pick I’d nominate Chien Shiung Wu.

There are so many deserving candidates, that the least I can do is highlight them and their incredible contributions here. In no particular order, here are my picks for the top 10 scientists who made incredible discoveries, who were never granted the recognition they deserved.