February 11th
1839 Josiah Willard Gibbs, researcher in thermodynamics and phase rule (Gibbs Phase Rule), was born. Free energy is named for him as Gibbs free energy.
1847 Thomas A. Edison, inventor of the incandescent lamp and mimeograph, was born.
1894 Izaac M. Kolthoff, researcher in analytical chemistry; researcher in polarography, voltammetry; amperometric titrations, and synthetic rubber chemistry, was born.