48 and Dead

James Clerk Maxwell was one of the most important and innovative scientists ever to live, right up there with Newton and Einstein.

Maxwell fundamentally transformed our understanding of the physical world.

Michael Faraday had recently used a magnet to generate electricity, and there was tremendous excitement around this phenomenon. Naturally, scientists were intrigued by the link between the two forces, but nobody could explain how it worked.

Not only did Maxwell eventually formulate equations to describe exactly how electricity and magnetism were manifestations of the same force, he also went much, much further than anyone expected.

Maxwell went on to show that all electromagnetic radiation—all of it—was light.

Light, you say? That’s right: the colors we see are just visible light, but with different wavelengths. Some types of light are invisible, like infrared or ultraviolet radiation, but it was all light. Electricity, magnetism, and now even optics were all the same phenomenon, just manifesting in different ways.

Virtually all of our modern technology relies heavily on this understanding, and on the subsequent knowledge that Maxwell laid out for all to see.

When Einstein was asked if he stood on the shoulders of Newton, he said, “No, on the shoulders of Maxwell.”

Maxwell accomplished even more than this, including the first ever color photograph, serious contributions to our understanding of entropy, and he ultimately laid the groundwork for both of the revolutions that upturned Newton’s view of the universe: quantum mechanics and relativity.

Then, he got stomach cancer and died at the age of 48.

I’m 48. Yikes.

Today, I thought it might be fun to look at some folks whose life got cut short at 48 years old. Why 48? Oh, no reason.

Maxwell had a genius for science, and for helping us understand the natural world. Graham Chapman, by contrast, had a special knack for helping us understand ourselves.

Monty Python was incredibly important to me growing up. I think I learned more about humor from this troupe than from any other collection of humans anywhere.

It’s really hard for me to articulate just how meaningful this humor was, and Graham Chapman was the heart and soul of Monty Python. The others looked up to him as a leader, and he played the lead role in my favorite movie of all time, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He also played the eponymous Brian in The Life of Brian, and countless lead characters in Flying Circus.

Chapman was the glue that held the troupe together. He was also openly gay at a time when it was far, far less accepted than today, and he also struggled with alcoholism, which he later overcame.

Tonsil cancer cut his life short at 48 years old. Chapman lives on in endless Monty Python quotes, watch parties, and in the legacy that his brand of dry humor left on the comedy world.

While it’s quite easy to look up footage of Chapman through old video clips, there’s one more person on my list today whose memory and legacy is utterly inescapable.

When Whitney Houston died at 48, people focused on what had caused her death—she suffered with drug addiction for her last few years. This was truly shocking, largely because Houston had such a sweet presence on the pop charts.

This sweet image was carefully crafted by her agents and producers, who sought to appeal to a much broader base, and one can’t help but wonder how much of this resulting cognitive dissonance contributed to her tragic demise.

Regardless, her incredible musical legacy includes so many songs from my childhood and teenage years, many of which would be on the soundtrack of my youth. Here’s So Emotional for your enjoyment (and nostalgia):

Can you hear Whitney’s influence on some of today’s pop stars?

And yes, I know there are songs out there that showcase Whitney’s talent far more than So Emotional, but I’ll be damned if any of them stayed on the radio for so long while I was in middle school, so that’s the video I shared.

Let’s get a tiny bit morbid today. Who are some folks who have died at the same age you are today? Is this too morbid to talk about? If so, what’s your favorite clip from Monty Python, or your favorite Whitney Houston song, or the most noteworthy of Maxwell’s achievements? Let’s talk.