| Our modern technological society, from the computer to telecommunications, rests firmly on the foundations established by Maxwell. It was Maxwell’s emphasis on the basic role of fields of force that led Einstein to his general theory of relativity and the modern understanding of gravity.
For a scientist of Maxwell’s stature, there are few memorials to him.
In 2006, the 175th anniversary of his birth raised his profile in his home city and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), of which Maxwell had been a Fellow, initiated plans for a statue of him.
A prime site was identified on George Street, in the heart of the "New Town", and close to the present building of the RSE.
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