Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

popular name: John von Neumann

date_of_death: February 8, 1957

age: 53

cause_of_death: Bone cancer (disputed)

claim_to_fame: Science

best_know_for: John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, engineer and polymath. Von Neumann was regarded as perhaps the mathematician with the widest coverage of the subject in his time and was said to have been "the last representative of the great mathematicians who were equally at home in pure and applied mathematics". Von Neumann's academic career was filled with awards and honors. He was a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Academiz Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Peru; Acamedia Nazionale dei Lincei, Italy; National Academy of Sciences; Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences and Letters; Information Processing Hall of Fame; and held numerous honorary degrees. Described as the scientific genius who pioneered the modern computer, game theory, nuclear deterrence, and more, John von Neumann illuminated the fields of pure and applied mathematics, computer science, physics, and economics. In the end, it would be supremely difficult to effectively refute the claim that John von Neumann is likely the most intelligent person who has ever lived. By the time of his death in 1957 at the modest age of 53, the Hungarian polymath had not only revolutionized several subfields of mathematics and physics but also made foundational contributions to pure economics and statistics and taken key parts in the invention of the atomic bomb, nuclear energy and digital computing.

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 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.