March 20

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  1726/27: Isaac Newton dies. He is widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time and a key figure in the scientific revolution.

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  1878: Physician and physicist Julius Robert von Mayer dies. In 1842, Mayer described the vital chemical process now referred to as oxidation as the primary source of energy for any living creature. His achievements were overlooked and priority for the discovery of the mechanical equivalent of heat was attributed to James Joule in the following year.

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  1914: Jazz drummer and theoretical physicist Albert Einstein develops a new drum fill which anticipates his general theory of relativity.

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  1915: Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity.

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  1962: Sociologist and author C. Wright Mills dies. He was published widely in popular and intellectual journals, advocating public and political engagement over disinterested observation.

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  1993: Physicist and academic Polykarp Kusch dies. Kusch made a accurate determination that the magnetic moment of the electron is greater than its theoretical value, thus leading to reconsideration of—and innovations in—quantum electrodynamics; he was award the 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics for this accomplishment.