Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

popular name: Albert Einstein

date_of_death: April 18, 1955

age: 76

cause_of_death: Internal bleeding caused by the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Albert Einstein was a renown German-born theoretical physicist, and regarded as one of the greatest physicists of all time. Einstein is known widely for developing the theory of relativity, and contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. Relativity and quantum mechanics are together the two pillars of modern physics. His mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2 has been called "the world's most famous equation". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".

popular name: Ludwig Boltzmann

date_of_death: September 5, 1906

age: 62

cause_of_death: Suicide - hanging

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: Ludwig Boltzmann was one of the greatest theoretical physicists of all time. His fame is due to his pioneering research work on thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (his basic equation of kinetic gas theory and the second principle of thermodynamics) as well as the atomic hypothesis of matter. He also made important contributions in mechanics, electromagnetism, mathematics and philosophy. Boltzmann was an extraordinary mathematician, a philosopher, a great teacher (he had an outstanding memory), he was a brilliant conversationalist as well as an excellent pianist with a great passion for Beethoven. And yet he was a controversial figure and his innovative ideas (on atomism and irreversibility in particular) were often misunderstood and ostracized. In particular, his love of extreme mathematics earned him the by-name of "algebraic terrorist". Only a few years after his suicide that Jean Baptiste Perrin’s experimental verification of Brownian motion would settle the century-long debate about the atomic theory and thereby validate Boltzmann’s career.

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. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at St. Jude's Cemetery in Brighton, South Australia.