Who are some notable historical and contemporary polymaths, and what fields have they excelled in?

Historical Polymaths:

1. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519): He was an Italian polymath who excelled in fields such as painting, sculpture, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. He is best known for his art, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

2. Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790): An American polymath who was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. He is known for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity.

3. Isaac Newton (1643–1727): An English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author who is widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time. He is best known for his law of universal gravitation and laws of motion.

Contemporary Polymaths:

1. Noam Chomsky (1928–present): An American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. He is often referred to as the "father of modern linguistics."

2. Elon Musk (1971–present): A business magnate, industrial designer, and engineer. He is the founder, CEO, CTO, and chief designer of SpaceX; early investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; founder of The Boring Company; co-founder of Neuralink; and co-founder and initial co-chairman of OpenAI.

3. Brian May (1947–present): An English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and astrophysicist. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen, but also earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London.