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Events on Sunday 2 October 1853 1
1786 – 1853Francois Arago (1786-1853)Died 2 October 1853, aged 67Francois Arago was a French physicist, astronomer, and statesman who made major contributions to the study of light polarization and electromagnetism, and briefly served as head of the French executive in 1848. As director of the Paris Observatory he championed Fizeau and Foucault's experiments measuring the speed of light. He died in Paris.