Henri Becquerel was a French scientist and physicist who was one of the most important people in the history of radioactive research. Becquerel was from a family of scientists and intellectuals. His father and grandfather were both scientists, so when he started getting formal training in science at some of the best institutes in Paris, it almost seemed like a natural step for him to follow in their footsteps. After he got his degree in engineering, he got a job and did a lot of research on phosphorescence at the same time. Later, he changed the focus of his research to find new radioactive elements. In 1903, the Nobel Prize for Physics was given to him for his work in the field of radioactivity. Henri Becquerel was very involved with the National Museum of Natural History when his father was the chair of physics there. After doing great work as a researcher, he himself became the chair of physics at the same museum. Becquerel is definitely one of the best physicists in the field of radioactivity, and science will always owe him a lot.
Early years and childhood
Antoine On December 15, 1852, in Paris, France, Henri Becquerel was born to Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel and Aurelie Cunard. His father was a scientist who taught Applied Physics at a college. He came from a family of well-known scientists and scholars.
He went to school at the Lycee Louis-Le-Grand in Paris. From the time he was in school, he liked science classes the most.
At the age of 20, Henri Becquerel went to the best French government school for engineering, the Ecole Polytechnique, to study engineering. After 2 years, he got his degree from the school.
In 1874, Henri Becquerel went to the Ecole des Pontes in Clauses to take a course in engineering. He got the degree 3 years after that, and it turned out to be the most important part of his research in the years to come.
Henri Becquerel’s Career
When he finished school at the Ecole des Pontes in Clauses in 1877, the French Government’s Department of Bridges and Highways hired him as an engineer. Even though he spent most of his career doing advanced scientific research, he kept working in this department.
In 1876, he was hired as a junior teacher at the Ecole Polytechnique, where he had studied before. Nineteen years later, he was put in charge of the physics department at the same school. He was very interested in phosphorescence, which is how the color of the light changes when it hits a certain body, and he got serious about his research pretty early on. Becquerel’s doctoral thesis was also about it.
Around the time he started teaching at Ecole Polytechnique, he got involved with the National Museum of Natural History in Paris and helped his father, who was the head of physics at the museum at the time. In 1892, the Museum made Becquerel the chair of physics.
In his early years, he studied things like infrared radiation, how light is absorbed, and how infrared affects phosphorescent crystals. His research led to him becoming a member of the Academie des Sciences in 1889.
In 1896, he did several experiments on radioactivity and was able to find new radioactive elements like polonium, radium, and thorium that were not uranium. Becquerel won the Nobel Prize 7 years after he finished those experiments, which are without a doubt one of the most important discoveries in modern history.
Works of note
Henri Becquerel spent most of his adult life doing scientific research. During that time, he not only found a lot of new things, but he also held some important jobs that led to more great work. But nothing can really compare to his Nobel Prize-winning work on radioactive elements.
Awards & Achievements
In 1900, Henri Becquerel was given the Rumford Medal by the Royal Society “for his discoveries in radiation coming from uranium.”
In 1901, he was given the Helmholtz Medal by the Berling-Brandenberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
In 1903, Henri Becquerel, Pierre Curies, and Marie Sklodowska-Curie all got the Nobel Prize in Physics.
In 1905, Columbia University gave him the Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to Science for his work.
Personal History and Legacies
Henri Becquerel married a woman named Janin. The couple had only one child, a son who was born in 1878. His son’s name was Jean Becquerel, and he also became a scientist.
Henri Becquerel died in Le Croisic on August 25, 1908, when he was 55 years old.
Estimated Net worth
Henri is one of the wealthiest and most well-known physicists. Henri Becquerel has a net worth of about $1.5 million, according to our research, Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.