Fritz Zwicky was a Swiss astronomer born on February 14, 1898, known for his pioneering work in astrophysics. He is best recognized for proposing the existence of dark matter in the 1930s, suggesting that unseen mass in galaxies was influencing their motion. His innovative ideas laid the groundwork for future research in cosmology. Zwicky also contributed to the field of supernovae and was instrumental in the development of the Telescope and photometry techniques. He was a professor at the California Institute of Technology and made significant advancements in understanding the structure of the universe before his death on February 8, 1974.