Eugene Wigner

popular name: Dr. Henry Murray

date_of_death: June 23, 1988

age: 95

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: As the Director and Chief Researcher of the Psychological Clinic Annex on the campus of Harvard University, for 3 years beginning in 1959 Dr. Henry Murray was responsible for the unethical, immoral and horrible experiments in which he used 22 Harvard undergraduates as research subjects in psychological torture. The unwitting undergraduates were submitted to what Murray called "vehement, sweeping and personally abusive" attacks while strapped into a wooden chair with electrodes attached to their bodies. One of the subjects for the entire 3-year period was Ted Kaczynski, later known as the Unabomber who was responsible for killing 3 and maiming 23 other victims through his series of mail bombs.

popular name: Sir Douglas Mawson

date_of_death: October 14, 1958

age: 76

cause_of_death: Cerebral haemorrhage

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Douglas Mawson is a world renowned Australian geologist, explorer, and scientist known for his pioneering work in Antarctica. Mawson began his studies at the University of Sydney where majored in geology and developed a passion for exploration. His first expedition began in 1907 when he joined Ernest Shackleton’s British Antarctic Expedition as a scientist. Although the expedition didn’t achieve all its goals, it laid the foundation for his future Antarctic ventures. In 1911 Mawson led the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), a scientific and exploration mission. This became one of his most notable achievements. Mawson and his team conducted significant geological surveys, made important meteorological observations, and explored previously uncharted areas of Antarctica. In 1912 during the AAE, Mawson embarked on a perilous journey to explore further inland, accompanied by two companions, Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz. Both men perished—Ninnis fell into a crevasse, and Mertz died from starvation and exposure. Mawson continued alone, suffering from exhaustion and frostbite but ultimately survived, managing to return to base, where he was hailed as a hero. After returning to Australia, Mawson continued his work in geology and advocated for further exploration in Antarctica. He was instrumental in the establishment of Australian research stations in Antarctica, was a key figure in the founding of the Australian Antarctic Division and played a role in ensuring Australia’s claim to parts of Antarctica. For his contributions, including being knighted in 1914, he also made significant contributions to the development of scientific research in polar regions and his name is associated with several geographic locations in Antarctica, and he remains a celebrated figure in Australian exploration history. Today Sir Douglas Mawson is considered one of the greatest men of his era both in Australia and by scientist around the world.

popular name: Edwin H. Land

date_of_death: March 1, 1991

age: 81

cause_of_death: Undisclosed

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Edwin H. Land was an American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation and the inventor of instant photography. “Dr. Land,’’ as most people referred to him, left Harvard College before graduation to start inventing in a Cambridge garage. In 40 years, Land built up a company that did about $1.4 billion of business all over the world in 1979 with over 20,000 employees. He stuck to his guns, never diversified into other businesses, never sold out to another company, and never borrowed money on a long-term basis. Land was awarded more than 500 patents, and other Polaroid researchers hundreds more. The Polaroid company was a juggernaut of innovation. In modern terms, Polaroid was the Apple of its time with a brilliant leader in Edwin Land, a scientist who guided the company as the CEO for several decades. But the company suffered a long decline starting in the ’80s leading to bankruptcy in the 2000s.