Joseph J. Thomson

Sir Joseph J. Thomson was a pioneering physicist who discovered the electron in 1897, revolutionizing our understanding of atomic structure. Using a cathode ray tube, he observed that particles within the atom, later called electrons, were much smaller than atoms themselves. His work showed that atoms are not indivisible but made up of smaller particles. This discovery led to the development of modern atomic theory and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906. Thomson's findings fundamentally changed physics and laid the foundation for future research in subatomic particles and quantum mechanics.