September 18

Born in Edinburgh in 1643, Burnet studied theology at Utrecht and Leiden. He became a tutor to the future King William III and moved to England after the Glorious Revolution. Appointed Bishop of Salisbury in 1689, he played a key role in defining post-revolution church policies. Burnet's multivolume 'History of the Reformation' remains a foundational work in English ecclesiastical history. His correspondence and writings reflect his moderate Whig politics and commitment to religious tolerance.

Adrien-Marie Legendre (1752–1833) made foundational contributions to mathematics. He pioneered methods in number theory, including Legendre's symbol in quadratic residues. His treatise on elliptic integrals advanced the study of calculus and special functions. Legendre's theorems on least squares laid groundwork for modern statistics. He contributed to celestial mechanics, refining orbital theories of planets. His landmark work Elements de géométrie remained a standard text for decades.

Joseph Story (1779–1845) served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1812 to 1845. At 32, he became the youngest justice in the court's history. He authored influential opinions on federalism, maritime law, and equity. Story's Commentaries on the Constitution became a foundational legal treatise. A Harvard Law professor, he mentored generations of American lawyers. His legal philosophy balanced national authority with states' rights.

Born in Paris in 1819, Léon Foucault initially studied medicine before devoting himself to experimental physics. In 1851, he conducted the famous Foucault pendulum experiment at the Panthéon, which demonstrated the rotation of the Earth. He developed the Foucault knife-edge test to assess the shape of telescope mirrors, advancing astronomical instrumentation. Foucault also made pioneering measurements of the speed of light in different media. He served as a professor at the Collège de France and influenced generations of physicists. Foucault's work bridged laboratory research and practical applications until his death in 1868.

Clark Wissler was an influential American anthropologist, archaeologist, and curator whose work shaped modern ethnology. As head of the Department of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History, he conducted extensive field studies among Native American tribes, developing cultural classification theories based on material artifacts. His books, such as 'The American Indian' and 'Society and Culture', became foundational texts in anthropology. Wissler also taught at Columbia University, mentoring leading scholars in the discipline. Born in 1870, he dedicated his career to interdisciplinary research and public education before his death in 1947.

Toni Wolff (1888–1953) was a pioneering Swiss psychologist and close associate of Carl Gustav Jung. She contributed to the development of analytical psychology, focusing on the feminine psyche and archetypes. Wolff's influential work "The Psychology of Women" explored psychological types and the role of anima and animus. She co-founded the psychological clinic in Zurich and trained many students in Jungian methods. Her theories on four structural forms of the feminine personality: maternal, dominatrix, amazon, erotic remain a cornerstone of depth psychology. Despite her impact, her contributions were often overshadowed by Jung's prominence in the field. Today she is recognized as a foundational figure in the study of women's psychology and Jungian theory.

Edwin McMillan was born in 1907 and became a pioneer in nuclear chemistry. Working at Berkeley Radiation Laboratory, he co-discovered the element neptunium, the first transuranium element. His groundbreaking research earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1951. McMillan also contributed to the development of the synchrotron particle accelerator. He later served as director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and advised on atomic energy policy. He died in 1991, leaving a lasting impact on science and research infrastructure.

Victor Ambartsumian was born in 1908 in Tbilisi and became one of the founders of Soviet astrophysics. He established the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory in Armenia and led research into stellar associations and galactic nuclei. Ambartsumian served as president of the Armenian Academy of Sciences and played a key role in promoting international scientific collaboration. His theories on active galactic nuclei influenced modern cosmology. He received numerous honors before his death in 1996, remembered as a visionary in astrophysics.

Dorothy Wedderburn made significant contributions to labour economics and social policy research. She began her career focusing on the economic role of women in the workforce. In 1971, she became the first female Principal of Bedford College, University of London. From 1985 to 1990, she served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, overseeing major institutional reforms. Wedderburn was committed to expanding access to higher education and advancing gender equality. She published influential papers and mentored generations of economists before her passing in 2012.

Born in Moscow, Rukavishnikov graduated from the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute in 1958. He joined the Soviet space program as a research engineer before being selected as a cosmonaut in 1965. Rukavishnikov flew on three missions: Soyuz 10, Soyuz 16, and Soyuz T-2, contributing to early spacecraft docking and station operations. He logged over 38 days in space and was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union twice. After leaving active spaceflight, he worked on spacecraft design and training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. He passed away in 2002, remembered as a pioneer of Soviet-era human space exploration.

Born in Maidstone, Kent, Ricks studied at Cambridge and later taught at Oxford University. He is renowned for his critical editions of poets such as T.S. Eliot, John Keats, and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Ricks has held professorships at universities worldwide, including Boston University and Princeton. His insightful and witty analyses have influenced generations of readers and critics. He received the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism and numerous honorary degrees. Ricks continues to publish and lecture, shaping contemporary understanding of English literature.

Jan Camiel Willems was a leading figure in the development of the behavioral approach to systems and control theory. His research introduced new mathematical frameworks for understanding dynamic systems. He served as a professor at the University of Groningen, influencing generations of engineers and mathematicians. Willems authored numerous influential papers and mentored many doctoral students. His work on dissipative systems and the Willems algorithm remains foundational in modern control engineering.