March 16

Born in 1670 in colonial Massachusetts, Wadsworth was a respected Congregational minister. He became the fifth President of Harvard College in 1725 and led the institution until his death in 1737. Under his leadership, Harvard expanded its curriculum and influence in the American colonies. Wadsworth was known for his dedication to education and the training of future ministers. His tenure helped shape early American higher education and religious scholarship.

Henrik Gabriel Porthan was born in 1739 in Taivassalo, Finland. He served as a professor at the Royal Academy of Åbo, where he championed the study of Finnish language and folklore. Porthan's research on Finland's medieval history and ancient poetry laid the groundwork for national literary identity. His lectures inspired a generation of Finnish scholars and contributed to the country's cultural awakening. He is celebrated for elevating Finnish history and culture within European scholarship.

Born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1773, Nathaniel Bowditch was largely self-taught in mathematics and astronomy. In 1802, he published The New American Practical Navigator, which became the definitive guide for maritime navigation. Bowditch corrected and expanded upon existing navigation tables, making sea travel safer and more precise. He also contributed to celestial mechanics and was a founding member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His work earned him the title 'father of modern navigation.'

Félix Savart was born in 1791 in Charleville, France and trained as a medical doctor before turning to physics. He collaborated with Jean-Baptiste Biot to formulate the Biot–Savart law, describing magnetic fields generated by electric currents. Savart also conducted early experiments on sound perception and developed the 'Savart wheel' for auditory research. His interdisciplinary work influenced both electromagnetism and the emerging field of experimental psychology. He died in 1841, leaving a legacy of precision in scientific instrumentation and theory.

John Murray (1841–1914) was a trailblazing Scottish marine scientist and one of the founders of oceanography. He participated in the Challenger expedition (1872–1876), conducting systematic studies of the world's oceans. Murray's work included depth measurements, temperature profiling, and classification of marine life. He also made significant contributions to limnology, advancing the study of freshwater lakes. His publications and leadership in scientific societies established oceanography as a rigorous discipline.

August von Wassermann (1866–1925) was a pioneering German bacteriologist and hygienist. A student of Robert Koch, he developed the Wassermann test in 1906 for detecting syphilis antigens. This complement fixation test revolutionized medical diagnostics and public health screening. Wassermann's research advanced the understanding of immunology and the body's response to infection. He served as director at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Experimental Therapy, influencing hygiene practices. His work laid critical foundations for modern serology and disease control.

Born in Cluny, Scotland in 1876, John Macleod studied medicine at the University of Aberdeen. In the early 1920s, he joined the University of Toronto team that worked to isolate and purify insulin for the treatment of diabetes. His guidance of Frederick Banting and Charles Best's research was pivotal in demonstrating insulin's clinical effectiveness. In 1923, Macleod and Banting were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery. He later became a professor at the University of Toronto and made significant contributions to carbohydrate metabolism research. Macleod's work laid the foundation for insulin therapy that has saved millions of lives worldwide.

Born in Saint Petersburg in 1877 to a Baltic German family, Alexander von Staël-Holstein specialized in Sanskrit and Chinese studies. He studied at the University of Dorpat and later at the University of Paris under renowned Orientalists. His research included translations of Buddhist texts and explorations of early Indian and Chinese literature. Staël-Holstein held professorships and lectured widely on Asian religion and philosophy in Europe. He published numerous works on Buddhist philosophy and the historical connections between Indian and Central Asian cultures. His scholarship helped establish sinology and Indology as academic disciplines in the early 20th century.

Yves Rocard was a French physicist and engineer who made significant advances in atomic and radar physics. During World War II, he developed radar systems for the Free French Forces, aiding Allied defense efforts. After the war, Rocard helped establish France's nuclear research program and contributed to nuclear reactor design. He pioneered the study of electron spin resonance and geophysics, including research on Earth's magnetic field. Rocard served as a professor at the École Normale Supérieure and mentored future generations of scientists. He wrote influential texts on physics and founded the research laboratory that later became the Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie.

Derek Barton was an English-American organic chemist renowned for developing conformational analysis. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1969 for his discoveries in the chemistry of the conformation of cyclic compounds. Barton held professorships at the University of Glasgow and Harvard University, mentoring many leading chemists. He contributed to synthetic methodology, studying reaction mechanisms and stereochemistry. Barton authored numerous research papers and books, influencing generations of chemists. His work laid the foundation for modern organic synthesis and molecular design.

Born in Sylhet in 1939, Islam studied at London and Cambridge, earning his Ph.D. under Dennis Sciama. He conducted pioneering research on star stability, black hole physics, and cosmic inflation. As a professor at the University of Chittagong, he founded the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Islam authored several textbooks and papers that advanced understanding of relativistic astrophysics. He also served as an advisor to the Bangladeshi government on science and technology development. Awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2007, he passed away in 2013, leaving a rich legacy in cosmology and education.

José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz (1925–2013) was an Argentine economist and politician appointed Minister of Economy by the military junta in 1976. He implemented sweeping liberalization reforms, including deregulation, privatization of state industries, and opening Argentina to foreign capital. While his policies initially reduced inflation, they led to a dramatic rise in foreign debt and economic volatility. After democracy was restored, Martínez de Hoz was implicated in corruption scandals over government contracts and loan guarantees. He was tried and convicted for misappropriation of public funds and later pardoned. He died on March 16, 2013, leaving a contested legacy on Argentine economic history.