This puzzle consists of eight phrases, each cluing a person. Each of the answers to the puzzles for the past eight weeks is the last name of one of those people. However, the answers do not fit in the blanks that are given. That requires the first names of the clued people.
Reading the blanks with numbers in order from 1-22 gives the phrase HE EQUATED ENERGY AND MASS. This is a reference to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity E=mc2. Since the puzzle – and the flavor text – both emphasize last names, the answer is EINSTEIN. Hopefully solving this puzzle made you feel smart. 🙂