The Resume

(February 20, 1945- )
Born in Yukon, Florida
Astrophysicist
With John C. Mather, headed the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) project
Produced a map of the temperature variations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) dubbed 'the Big Bang theory's smoking gun' (1992)
Co-recipient with Mather of the Nobel Prize in Physics (2006)

Why he might be annoying:

He violated protocol by leaking news of COBE's discoveries to the press before NASA's formal announcement.
He appeared in a commercial for TurboTax.
He gave a TED talk claiming that aspects of physics support the idea that the universe is a computer-generated virtual reality.

Why he might not be annoying:

He said of the discover of fluctuations in the CMB, 'If you're religious, it's like looking at God.'
He donated his share of the Nobel Prize money (minus travel costs) to charity.
He was twice a guest star on The BIg Bang Theory.
He was the second person to win the top prize of $1 million on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 20th Century Scientists
• 21st Century Scientists
• Big Bang Theory - Guest Stars
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 71]
• I Attended MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• I Earned a Doctorate
• I Gave a TED Talk
• Nobel Prize for Physics (Ranked: 2006)
• People Magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People [1992]
• Profiles 45251-45500 (Ranked: 45450)
• Scientists

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 10 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying