The following list comprises some of the most well-renowned inventors and discoverers. Of course, one may argue that other people are more deserving such as French Chemist Louis Pasteur, who invented the process of sterilization which has saved possibly hundreds of millions of lives. But then again, he is French, so we left him off the list (joke). We should also note that there is a distinction or a clarification to be made between the term "inventor" and "discoverer". For instance, Albert Einstein discovered the theory of relativity, he did not actually invent it. By contrast, Thomas Edison is widely credited for inventing the light bulb. This distinction is especially important when it comes to patent law in that a patent will be awarded to inventions, and not discoveries which occur in nature.