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Henri Becquerel

PhysicistFrance

Nobel Prize WinnerScientist
Henry Becquerel 1903

Antoine Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) was a French physicist and winner of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. Becquerel was born in Paris, France on December 15, 1852. He was the son of a professor of applied physics, Alexander Becquerel.

He began his studies in 1872 at École Polytechnique just south of Paris. After a couple of years, he began working for the French government’s Department of Roads and Bridges. In 1894, he was appointed chief engineer of the department. Becquerel received a Doctor of Science degree in 1888. He later became Professor of Applied Physics in the Department of Natural History at the Paris Museum, a post his father had held previously. In 1895, he was appointed Professor at École Polytechnique. 

Scientific Contributions

In 1896, Becquerel discovered natural radioactivity. Earlier that year, German physicist, Wilhelm Röntgen discovered x-rays. A type of phosphorescence had been present in vacuum tubes during Röntgen’s experiment. This caused Becquerel to wonder if there was any link between x-rays and naturally occurring phosphorescence. He conducted an experiment on uranium salts, which he inherited from his father. He hypothesized that the uranium would absorb light and reemit it as x-rays. He put the uranium on photographic plates. He developed the plates and observed that the uranium had, in fact, emitting radiation similar to x-rays.

However, on a cloudy day in March, Becquerel decided to develop photographic plates of uranium that had not been exposed to sunlight. He found that even without contact to sunlight, the uranium was emitting radiation. While Becquerel initially believed the rays he was observing were similar to x-rays, further experiments should that unlike x-rays, the magnetic and electric fields of these rays could be deflected. Becquerel had, in fact, discovered radioactivity.

In 1903, Becquerel received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on radioactivity along with Pierre and Marie Curie.

He died in Le Croisic, France on August 25, 1908.

Henri Becquerel's Timeline
1852 Dec 15th Born in Paris, France.
1872 Entered at École Polytechnique.
1874 Began working for the Department of Roads and Bridges.
1877 Became an engineer at the Department of Roads and Bridges.
1878 Appointed as an Assistant at the Museum of Natural History
1888 Received a Doctor of Science degree.
1892 Appointed Professor of Applied Physics in the Department of Natural History at the Paris Museum.
1894 Appointed chief engineer of the Department of Roads and Bridges.
1895 Appointed Professor at École Polytechnique.
1896 Mar 1st Discovered that uranium emitted radiation without absorbing sunlight.
1903 Jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre and Marie Curie.
1908 Aug 25th Died in Le Croisic, France.

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