Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989)
Soviet nuclear physicist Andrei Sakharov (pictured) designed the RDS-37, the Soviet Union's first two-stage hydrogen bomb, first tested on November 22, 1955. Sakharov later experienced a crisis of conscience, becoming a staunch advocate of civil liberties and civil reforms in the Soviet Union, for which he was relentlessly persecuted. His commitment to peace, disarmament, and human rights eventually earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975.