Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

popular name: Eugene Wigner

date_of_death: January 1, 1995

age: 92

cause_of_death: Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Eugene Paul "E. P." Wigner was a Hungarian theoretical physicist who also contributed to mathematical physics. He obtained American citizenship in 1937, and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963 "for his contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus and the elementary particles, particularly through the discovery and application of fundamental symmetry principles". Wigner and Hermann Weyl were responsible for introducing group theory into physics, particularly the theory of symmetry in physics. Along the way he performed ground-breaking work in pure mathematics, in which he authored a number of mathematical theorems. In particular, Wigner's theorem is a cornerstone in the mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics.

popular name: Charles Pigeon

date_of_death: March 18, 1915

age: 76

cause_of_death: Natural causes

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Charles-Joseph Pigeon started as a salesman in department store Le Bon Marché in Paris, where he became a close friend of Ernest Cognacq. Together they became partners and co-founders of the Samaritaine department stores. Pigeon became a dealer in cycle lamps, mining lamps and other combustible lamps. On June 9, 1884 he obtained a patent for his new lamp, the Pigeon lamp, a non-exploding gasoline lamp. He began to design, manufacture and sell his new invention across Europe and later that year he exhibited his Pigeon Lamps at the Exposition universelle de 1900) which subsequently made him famous and very, very wealthy.

popular name: Sir Isaac Newton

date_of_death: March 28, 1727

age: 84

cause_of_death: Experienced severe pain in his abdomen and blacked out, never regained consciousness, and died the next day

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Isaac Newton was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and theologian, is considered one of the great figures in the history of math and science. His ideas about motion and gravity are fundamental to the science of physics and other fields. He discovered calculus, proposed new theory of light and color, advanced early modern chemistry, and invented the reflecting telescope. His highly influential books include "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica" (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) on classical mechanics, "Opticks" on theories of light.