In 1878, German physicist Philipp von Jolly advised German physicist Max Planck not to enter theoretical physics, saying the field had nearly reached its final form after the discovery of the principle of conservation of energy. Planck said he did not want to discover anything new and only wanted to understand the fundamentals. His later work, however, led to the discovery of quantum mechanics. Planck went on to originate quantum theory and win the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Previous Fact Next Fact