Henri Becquerel

Henri Becquerel was a French physicist who made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of radioactivity in the late 19th century. In 1896, he found that certain materials, like uranium salts, emitted rays that could expose photographic plates, even without light. This phenomenon hinted at the existence of radioactive elements, leading to further research by scientists like Marie Curie. Becquerel’s work laid the foundation for nuclear physics and our understanding of radiation, which has applications in medicine, energy, and understanding atomic structure. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 for his contributions to this field.