Who is the Father of Modern Physics?

In the scientific community, Albert Einstein is universally recognized as the Father of Modern Physics.

• Why?: Before 1905, physics was dominated by Isaac Newton's old, rigid rules (where time and space were considered fixed and absolute). Einstein completely shattered these old rules.
• He introduced the revolutionary Theory of Relativity ($E = mc^2$). He proved that time actually slows down when you travel faster, and that gravity is not a pull, but a bending of the fabric of space itself.
• His work directly laid the foundation for quantum mechanics, nuclear energy, and our entire modern understanding of the universe.

If you look further back in history, Galileo Galilei (1564) is called the Father of Modern Science and Observational Physics.

• Before Galileo, people just 'guessed' how the world worked based on religion or Greek philosophy.
• Galileo was the first man to aggressively say: "Don't just guess. Build a telescope, look at the stars, drop objects from a tower, and physically measure them." He invented the modern scientific method of experimentation.

Between Galileo and Einstein sits Sir Isaac Newton.

• He is the father of 'Classical Mechanics'. He invented calculus, formulated the Three Laws of Motion, and mathematically proved the Universal Law of Gravitation (the apple falling from the tree). His math built the modern industrial world.