From the late 19th Century till about the end of the cold war, the world in general and Europe in particular went through quite turbulent times. It was more than just the wars, crisis, atomic explosions and secret operations. Even in fields such as science and art there was an unprecedented boom. Geniuses and geniuses were everywhere. From Einstein to Kafka and from Schrödinger to Beckett, 20th Century had no shortage of amazingly talented people.