born с 460
died с 370 BC
Greek philosopher.
Though only a few fragments of his work survive, he was apparently the first to describe invisible "atoms" as the basis of all matter. His atoms
indestructible, indivisible, incompressible, uniform, and differing only in size, shape, and motion
anticipated with surprising accuracy those discovered by 20th-century scientists. For his amusement at human foibles, he has been called "the Laughing Philosopher." See also atomism .