James Clerk Maxwell died on 5 November 1879 in Cambridge, aged 48. A Scottish physicist born in Edinburgh, Maxwell formulated the classical theory of electromagnetism. In the 1860s he drew together the discoveries of Faraday and others into a set of equations showing that electric and magnetic fields travel as waves at the speed of light, which led him to conclude that light itself is an electromagnetic wave. He also contributed to the kinetic theory of gases and the statistical description of molecular speeds, and he produced the first colour photograph in 1861. He became the first Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge. Einstein later said that his work changed the concept of reality in physics, and Maxwell died at 48.
Before and after
- from August 1879 to October 1880Victorio's War
- 9 October 1879Birth of Max von Laue
- 22 October 1879Edison's carbon-filament lamp burns for 13 hours
- 26 October 1879Birth of Leon Trotsky
- 5 November 1879Death of James Clerk Maxwell
- from 17 November 1879 to 29 May 1885International Association of the Congo
- 1880Discovery of Oxus Treasure
- 1880Publication of The Brothers Karamazov
- 1880Discovery of gadolinium
More in Science & technology
- 1789Discovery of uranium
- 1807Discovery of potassium
- 30 June 1808Discovery of boron
- 1810Discovery of fluorine
- 1823Discovery of silicon
- 1898Discovery of neon
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.