The career success and course of 2,026 eminent scientists and inventors were examined relative to the social networks in which their work took place. Career success was gauged by eminence and lifetime contributions; career course was assessed by the age at first, best, and last contributions and the career duration. Once the social relationships were grouped into 15 categories, such as mentors, collaborators, and successors, the relationships were assessed according to their number; eminence, and age gap. Controlling for potential artifacts, analysis revealed how career achievements are associated with the presence of specific proximal and distal interactions and influences across and within generations. Isaac Newton is shown to typify the overall pattern of results.
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