  In 1965 the Nobel Foundation honored Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger,
and Richard Feynman for their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics and
the consequences for the physics of elementary particles. In contrast to both
of his colleagues only Richard Feynman appeared as a genius before the public.
In his autobiographies he managed to connect his behavior, which contradicted
several social and scientific norms, with the American myth of the "practical
man". This connection led to the image of a common American with extraordinary
scientific abilities and contributed extensively to enhance the image of
Feynman as genius in the public opinion. Is this image resulting from Feynman's
autobiographies in accordance with historical facts? This question is the
starting point for a deeper historical analysis that tries to put Feynman and
his actions back into historical context. The image of a "genius" appears then
as a construct resulting from the public reception of brilliant scientific
research.
