Ruđer Josip Bošković was an exceptionally versatile individual whose work and activities covered many areas, from the natural sciences and humanities to diplomacy. Bošković’s education began at the Dubrovnik Jesuit school Collegium Ragusinum, and continued in Rome.

His explanation of the interactions between the smallest particles of matter presented in his best-known work, Philosophiae naturalis theoria (“Theory of Natural Philosophy”) published in 1758, places him amongst the most significant scientists in the world.

He was a member of the Royal Society, the most prestigious scientific institution in Great Britain, and, at the request of Pope Benedict XIV, he made plans for the repair of the apses and dome of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Although he did not live in Dubrovnik, throughout his life, he maintained strong ties with his homeland by performing diplomatic service for the Dubrovnik Republic, as attested by the letters kept in the Dubrovnik archives.

A lunar crater is named after Bošković and his portrait was on the Croatian dinar banknotes from 1991 to 1994. The biggest Croatian scientific and research institution in the field of natural sciences (the Ruđer Bošković Institute) and the Dubrovnik airport (the Ruđer Bošković Airport) both bear his name.