James Clerk Maxwell created groundbreaking work in an impressive number of fields from a very young age. He is considered one of the founders of the kinetic theory of gases, and his work in electrodynamics laid the groundwork for the theories of Albert Einstein.

James Clerk Maxwell was the son of James Clerk (Maxwell), who added the name Maxwell in order to hold on to family property, and Frances Cay Maxwell. He was born June 13, 1831, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and spent most of his childhood on the family's estate near Dalbeatie, in the Galloway region. In 1841 he was enrolled at the Edinburgh Academy.

James published his first scientific paper at age 15. It was a description of a new way of drawing ovals, and it was presented to the Edinburgh Royal Society in March 1846.

This first paper was the beginning of a wide-ranging but sadly short-lived career in science. Maxwell's...