I'm not sure how good this list is, the book probably has more detail. For example, the second law of thermodynamics was probably included because it most conc

I'm not sure how good this list is, the book probably has more detail. For example, the second law of thermodynamics was probably included because it most concisely describes entropy, but an understanding of thermodynamics wasn't too important for e.g. the industrial revolution. Indeed, thermodynamics is probably less important that statistical mechanics, especially Boltzmann's entropy formula (which directly leads to e.g. the third law). The formula, which is also carved on his grave, relates the macroscopic and microscopic. This is vital for modern science. Indeed, Boltzmann's work also provided Max Planck with the beginnings of quantum mechanics. If we could preserve only one formula, it would hopefully be "S=k*ln(W)".