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Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier was born on Aug. 26, 1743. He grew up the oldest child in his family in Paris, France, and a product of the bourgeoisie lifestyle. His father was a well-off attorney who followed the family tradition of practicing law. Antoine’s mother died when he was just a boy, but his aunt came to help raise him and his younger siblings. Between 1754 and 1761, he was educated at the Collège Mazarin where he studied mathematics, …

…Lavoisier had prevented, with good reason, from joining the Academy of Sciences. Eager for revenge, Marat accused Lavoisier of diluting commercial tobacco and cutting off the Paris air supply by building a defensive wall around the city. Lavoisier pleaded with the judge to allow him to finish his experiments, but the judge refused, saying only that France didn’t need any more scientists. On May 8, 1794, Lavoisier was sentenced to death and executed on the guillotine.