Jules Verne:
In his novels, Jules Verne predicted many modern technologies before their invention, including nuclear submarines, space travel, and video calling, causing him to be seen as an oddity by his contemporaries.
Nikola Tesla:
Nikola Tesla, who invented AC current among several other inventions (and sometimes outlandish ideas), was a largely unknown personality, unlike the celebrity inventors of his day. His affinity for isolation had caused him to spend all his money on his research. He spent his final years poor, in a hotel in New York, feeding pigeons to pass time.
Diogenes:
Diogenes was a Greek philosopher who flouted social norms and was known for causing both discomfort and wonder, by his way of life and ideas. His philosophy has been preserved today in the form of strange, sometimes comedic anecdotes.
Mohammed Naguib:
Mohammed Naguib, first president of Egypt, was erased from history and forgotten after being put under house arrest and replaced by president Nasser. Naguib had begun democratic reform after the 1952 revolution, while Nasser sought an iron-fist dictatorship
Harriet “Moses” Tubman:
Harriet Tubman saw visions of freedom, both metaphorically and psychologically. An injury to her head had induced narcolepsy and resulting visions which she interpreted spiritually. She went on to free hundreds of slaves earning her the nickname “Moses”.
Ludwik Zamenhof:
Ludwik Zamenhof believed that the world’s wars were caused by the misunderstandings created by language barriers, and believed that if one language could unite all peoples, world peace would come. Thus, he invented Esperanto, endeavouring to create an impossible utopia.
Gregor Mendel:
Gregor Mendel was an Augustinian monk who’s experiments on peas allowed him to lay the ground work for modern genetics. His research was ignored by contemporary scientists (Only to be posthumously rediscovered and proven correct). His isolation as a monk and later as abbot of his monastery furthered his separation from the scientific community.
Hellen Keller
Hellen Keller was blind and deaf which caused her to perceive the world uniquely through her sense of touch. She later became a pioneer in disability education.
Franz Kafka:
Franz Kafka always felt emotionally and socially isolated from the people in his life, which he channeled into the nightmarish, disorienting world of his novels, published posthumously and against his will.
Ignaz Semmelweis:
Ignaz Semmelweis was the first to suggest the importance of antiseptic hand washing in hospital delivery rooms and was dismissed as insane. Continuing in this struggle to save as many mothers as possible, he was admitted by his wife to an insane asylum and died shortly after returning home.
Strangers
“Strangers” views peculiar visionaries from history through the lens of their estrangement, revealing the hidden perspective isolation creates
