James Clerk Maxwell, the Poet [Historical Corner]

James Clerk Maxwel l (born in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 13 June 1831; died in Cambridge, United Kingdom, 5 November 1879) is undoubtedly one of the preeminent scientists of all time (Figure 1). As Newton before him and Einstein after, he introduced new ways to look at physics, opening new conceptual horizons and modifying the body of accepted theories and physical conceptions. The modern vision of a physical world made of particles that interact through fields has a conceptual foundation in two of Maxwell's main contributions: the kinetic theory of gases and the theory of electromagnetic fields.