Becquerel Wins the Nobel Prize for the Discovery of Natural Radioactivity
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Science and Technology Series
- Categories: Science
- Subcategories: Scientists, Physics, Physicists
- Curriculum: 20th & 21st Century European History, French History
- Geographical Location: Scandinavia, Stockholm
- Date: September 10, 1903
Article abstract: Becquerel discovered the phenomenon of natural radioactivity and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Summary of Event
The discovery of radioactivity is only part of the larger story of scientific investigations of the electromagnetic spectrum and is intimately connected with the discovery of X rays. During the final two decades of the nineteenth century, building on the theoretical foundations of James Clerk Maxwell, scientists explored the nature of a variety of electromagnetic radiation. If Maxwell’s theories were correct, it...
[The entire page is 1680 words long]
