Henri Becquerel (1852 - 1908)
|
Current Atomic Model 
|
- Discovered nuclear radiation in 1896.
- While storing some uranium compounds in a desk drawer with photographic
paper, he noticed that when developed, the photo paper had an image of the
compound. This was particularly extraordinary because the photographic paper
was sealed. Somehow the compound "exposed" the photo paper through
its protective covering.
Marie Curie (1867-1934)
|
Current Atomic Model
|
- Shortly after this discovery Marie Curie began experiments with
uranium to determine the nature of this "radioactivity", a term
coined by her. Her husband also turned his research toward the understanding
of radiation. In 1903, Marie and Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel received
the Nobel prize for their work in radioactivity.
- These experiments laid the groundwork for a new era of physics and chemistry.
Eventually this would lead to the discovery of the neutron.
