French geophysicist and astronomer (born 1678)

Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan

Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan was a French natural philosopher (physicist), born in the town of Béziers on 26 November 1678. De Mairan lost his father, François d'Ortous, at age four and his mother twelve years later at age sixteen. Over the course of his life, de Mairan was elected into numerous scientific societies and made key discoveries in a variety of fields, including ancient texts and astronomy. His observations and experiments also inspired the beginning of what is now known as the study of biological circadian rhythms.

Born

1678

November 26

Died

1771

Era

1670s

Country

About

Jean-Jacques, in brief

Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan was a French natural philosopher (physicist), born in the town of Béziers on 26 November 1678. De Mairan lost his father, François d'Ortous, at age four and his mother twelve years later at age sixteen. Over the course of his life, de Mairan was elected into numerous scientific societies and made key discoveries in a variety of fields, including ancient texts and astronomy. His observations and experiments also inspired the beginning of what is now known as the study of biological circadian rhythms.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

  1. 1678 Born
  2. 1771 Died

Also on November 26

What else happened on this day, through history

See all of November 26 →

Same-day contemporaries

Also born on November 26

See everything on November 26 →

Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1678

Keep going

More to explore