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Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorPublished as SubjectHenri Becquerel
Dates
December 15, 1852 – August 25, 1908
Authorized Form of Name
Becquerel, Henri, 1852-1908
Additional Forms of Names
Becquerel, Antoine Henri, 1852-1908
Becquerel, Antoine-Henri, 1852-1908
Biography
Abstract
Henri Becquerel was a nuclear physicist at the École Polytechnique, specializing in radiation and radioactivity. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by his discovery of spontaneous radioactivity."
Important Dates
December 15, 1852Birth, Paris (France).
1874 – 1894Ingénieur (Engineer) (1877-1894) and Ingénieur-en-chef (Chief Engineer) (1894), École des ponts ParisTech (École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées), Paris (France).
1878Chair of Applied Physics, National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers), Paris (France).
1878 – 1908Assistant (1878); Professional of Applied Physics (1892), Museum of National History (Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (France)), Paris (France).
1888Obtained docteur-ès-sciences degree in engineering, École Polytechnique, Paris (France).
1889Member and Life Secretary, French Academy of Sciences (Académie des sciences (France)).
1895Professor, École Polytechnique, Paris (France).
1900Officer, Legion of Honour.
1900Awarded Rumford Medal.
1901Awarded Helmholtz Medal, Royal Academy of Sciences in Berlin.
1903Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre and Marie Curie "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by his discovery of spontaneous radioactivity" and was split with Pierre and Marie Curie.
1905Awarded Barnard Medal, U. S. National Academy of Sciences.
1908Foreign member, Royal Society.
August 25, 1908Death, Le Croisic (France).
Occupation
Nuclear physicist.
Places
Birth
Undergraduate Education
Graduate Education
Employment
Death
Subjects
Relationships
People
Family
Becquerel, Ed., 1820-1891
Father.
Becquerel, Jean, 1878-
Son.
Becquerel, Mlle. Janin
Wife.
Advisors & Collaborators
Awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics along with P. Curie "in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel."
Awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics along with M. Curie "in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel."
Friedel, Charles
PhD advisor at the Sorbonne.
Additional
Hansen, W. W. (William Webster), 1909-1949
Thomson, J. J. (Joseph John), 1856-1940
Institutions
Major Positions
Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (France)
Chair of Applied Physics.
Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussées (France)
Ingénieur (Engineer) and Ingénieur-en-chef (Chief Engineer).
Ecole polytechnique (France)
Obtained docteur-ès-sciences degree in engineering (1888). Professor.
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (France)
Assistant and Professor of Applied Physics.
Professional Activities & Affiliations
Académie des Sciences (France)
Member and Life Secretary.
Accademia nazionale dei Lincei
Member.
Königliche Akademie der Wissenschaften (Berlín)
Member.
Légion d'honneur (France)
Officer.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Awarded 1905 Barnard Medal.
Royal Society (Great Britain)
Foreign member.
Resources
Archival Resources
Author
Henri Becquerel autograph letters, 1900-1906.
Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine
Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine
183 Fuston Rd., London NW1 2BN, England UK
Henri Becquerel papers, ca. 1870-ca. 1908.
Bibliotheque
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
38 rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 75005 Paris France
Subject
French government records concerning the Services des Missions (in charge of scientific expeditions during the 19th century), 1864-1945.
Archives nationales de France
60 rue de Francs-Bourgeois, 75141 Paris France
History of atomic energy collection, 1896-1991.
Libraries, Special Collections
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
Sir J. J. Thomson papers and correspondence, 1836-1956.
Library
Trinity College
Cambridge CB2 1TQ
W. W. Hansen miscellaneous materials, 1899-1931.
Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine
Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine
183 Fuston Rd., London NW1 2BN, England UK
Published Resources
Author
Recherches sur l'absorption de la lumiére / par Henri Becquerel.
Subject
APS News March 1, 1896: Henri Becquerel Discovers Radioactivity.
Becquerel, Antoine-Henri (1852-1908).
Biography.com - Henri Becquerel.