Henri Becquerel
French physicist (1852-1908) · France · Scientists · Died at 55
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Something wrong?He left uranium salts on a photographic plate in a drawer and accidentally discovered that matter itself could emit invisible rays - the first glimpse of radioactivity, the force that would split the atom and rewrite physics.
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Antoine Henri Becquerel was born 15 December 1852 into a French family steeped in experimental physics. In 1896, working with uranium compounds, he found they fogged photographic plates even without exposure to light - radiation pouring out spontaneously from the elements themselves. The discovery earned him the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with Marie and Pierre Curie, who would take the phenomenon further than he did. He died 25 August 1908, having opened a door he never fully walked through.
In common with Henri
Irène Joliot-CurieBoth received Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to Science
Edwin HubbleBoth received Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to Science
Wilhelm RöntgenBoth received Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to Science
William RamsayBoth received Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to Science
Ernest RutherfordBoth received Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to Science
John William Strutt, 3rd Baron RayleighBoth received Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to ScienceFame.am measures public visibility signals. It does not measure human value, talent, morality, or credibility.