Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, and Ralph Merkle developed public key cryptology, the basis of all Internet encryption.

FORBES: You've Never Heard of Them, but They've Changed Your Life

Eric Hughes, a cryptology expert with Simple Access, an electronic-commerce consulting firm, conducted his own experiment: at a technical conference, he issued a roll of pennies to every participant and explained that there was a one-cent charge, payable into a box beside the door, each time anyone entered the main room.

ECONOMIST: So many ways to pay online