Recently, I’ve been reading far more articles in scientific publications (yes, I am a nerd.) Also, I’ve been watching the news from time to time, which is a fantastic cure for happiness and intelligence. The major problem I’ve seen with the news is the massive amount of fanfare that results from a celebrity of any sort dying. Just check out the amount of Heath Ledger crap on various news sites, if you don’t believe me. Or Anna Nicole Smith. Or Phil Hartman. Or Steve Irwin. You get the idea - people love lamenting celebrities, mourning their death as if they actually contributed to the advancement of society.

Don’t get me wrong - the entertainment arts take a ton of skill to be anything other than miserable at. Acting, singing or any other form of entertainment takes talent, creativity and a shitton of luck - but acting never got a man on the moon, or provided an accurate explanation for what was beyond Earth long before we ever left it. It didn’t discover the underlying code that drives almost all living things, or prevent and cure some of the world’s most debilitating diseases. Yet, for some reason, the vast majority of the idiots in our society wouldn’t have the slightest idea of who James Watson was if his picture was plastered on the news some day for dying. Hell, I doubt CNN or ABC would spend more than a few minutes talking about the man who contributed to one of the largest scientific and biological advances of the 20th century. Oh, and just in case:

So, what’s my suggestion? I say we try to remember those who contribute the most to the advancement of our society, especially when the mass media tend to all but ignore them when they die. Since I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to remembering anyone or anything, I’ll post my meager list and hope I can gather some contributions.

• James Watson - The man behind that tiny little “DNA” thing you learned about in high school. His partner in crime is unfortunately not with us, but we can still keep their accomplishments in our heads.
• Apollo 11 Crew - Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins may not be the entire driving force behind the whole “Man on the Moon” thing (I think there were, oh, roughly ten unsuccessful Apollos before them,) but they are pioneers nonetheless. And they’re all still alive, which means we still have a chance to not let them disappear into obscurity.
• Norman Motherfucking Borlaug - Ok, so he may not appreciate the expletive in the middle of his name, but this man deserves it. The saddest part? I didn’t even know about this man until recently. Long story short, if you eat, you should be calling this man with well-wishes more often than your own mother.
• Sir Alexander Fleming - This one is somewhat hard, since he died about 50 years ago, but he discovered antibiotics. That in and of itself means he should have a national holiday named after him for the rest of humanity’s existence.

Like I said, it’s a meager list. Got someone you think should be recognized now for preventative posthumous memory loss on part of the masses? Throw it into a comment and let me know. No one should ever be forgotten by the very people they’ve helped keep alive.