But Abel Niepce who made the first observation of radiation from uranium with the impression of a photographic plate, but without giving it meaning. The radiation linked to uranium natural radioactivity enlightened by Abel Niepce long time before Henri Becquerel Les rayonnements lies a la radioactivite naturelle de l'uranium mis en evidence par Abel Niepce bien avant Henri BecquerelĮnergy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)Ībel Niepce was rarely mentioned during the celebration of the centenary of the radioactivity discovery.This discovery, supposed due to chance alone, is entirely attributed to Henri Becquerel. The circumstances of the discovery and the controversies which followed are reviewed within the framework of their scientific and historical context. This success is largely due to a tradition of high-level scientific research which prevailed over three generations in the Becquerel family. In March 1896, Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity. The discovery of uranic rays: a short step for Henri Becquerel but a giant step for science Science at the turn of the century was very exciting, the discovery of X rays had just been announced and scientists everywhere were hoping to discover new phenomena. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather gave him a thorough grounding in scientific research methods. Henri Becquerel was the third in the line of a family of scientists which extended over more than a hundred years. This paper recalls the history of the Becquerel family, the fascinating time of the discovery of radioactivity as well as some important related research published before the radium age. Henri Becquerel: the discovery of radioactivity The author highlights the importance of his talent but also the influence of his family background: his grand-father and father were both renowned scientists Becquerel was awarded the Nobel prize of physics (jointly with the Curies). This article presents the life and achievements of Henri Becquerel particularly in the domain of natural radioactivity which he discovered. Henri Becquerel and the discovery of natural radioactivity The author shows that the discovery of radioactivity was due to talent, family emulation, genetics and chance. Henri was awarded the Nobel prize of physics (shared with Pierre and Marie Curie) in 1903 for the discovery of radioactivity. 4 generations of Becquerel Antoine-Cesar (1788-1878), Edmond (1820-1891), Henri (1852-1906) and Jean (1878-1953) were involved in scientific activities at the highest level. This article presents the scientific saga of the Becquerel family. International Nuclear Information System (INIS) The actual composition of the three types of radiation was still not known.Why it was natural for Henri Becquerel to discover natural radioactivity The three basic types of radiation were named alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Some of the radiation could even pass through foil up to a centimeter thick. Some of the radiation could pass easily through aluminum foil while some of the radiation was stopped by the foil.
It was soon discovered that there were three common types of radioactive emissions. \): Marie Curie (right) and Pierre Curie (middle) with Henri Becquerel (left) shared the 1903 Nobel Prize.įurther experiments provided information about the characteristics of the penetrating emissions from radioactive substances.