-
460 BCE
Democritus
Democritus was a Greek philosopher. He is best remembered for creating the first atomic theory of the universe. Democritus was interested in philosophy, astronomy, theology, and geometry. Eventually, he developed the atomic theory. He wondered how long someone could continue breaking something until it could not be broken down anymore and named that final remaining particle an atom. However, he didn't own the required equipment for testing his theory out, and in the end, his ideas were rejected. -
John Dalton
John Dalton was a British chemist, physicist, and meteorologist. He is best known for his early work in the development of the modern atomic theory. In 1800, Dalton submitted essays regarding his experiments with gases to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where he had recently earned a job as a secretary. His research caused him to come with a four-part theory on atoms that is based on the laws of conservation of mass and constant composition. -
Joseph John Thomson
J. J. Thomson was an English physicist. He's best known for the discovery of the electron. In 1897, Thomson was performing experiments on a cathode-ray tube, a popular research topic at the time. It was during these experiments that he discovered the electron. Later, in 1906, he was presented with a Nobel Prize for his discovery and contribution to physics. -
Lord Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford was a New Zealand physicist. He is considered to be the father of nuclear physics. Near the beginning of the 20th century, he performed a famous experiment that came to be known as the gold foil experiment. The results of the experiment showed that atoms consist of a positive nucleus, and they're mostly empty space. He discovered the proton and nucleus, was the first person to split an atom, and won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his atomic structure theory in 1908. -
Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr was a Danish physicist. He is best known for contributing to quantum theory and atomic structure information. Bohr created an atomic model based on his research, which resembles a model of the solar system. This model shows electrons in different orbitals around the nucleus, which consists of protons and neutrons. The Bohr atomic model is the most accurate one as of now & is still employed today. He won the 1922 Nobel Prize in physics for his contribution to physics & atomic research.
