1887 |
HEINRICH RUDOLPH HERTZ (Germany, 1857-1894) | discovered the photoelectric effect while verifying the existence of the electromagnetic waves predicted by Maxwell. |
1888 |
WILHELM HALLWACHS (Germany, 1859-1922) | showed that only negative charges are emitted in the photoelectric effect. |
1891 |
JOHNSTONE STONEY (Ireland, 1826-1911) | introduced the name "electron" for an elementary unit of negative charge in electrolysis. |
1895 |
WILHELM CONRAD ROENTGEN (Germany, 1845-1923) | discovered x-rays. He was awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 1901. |
1897 |
JOSEPH JOHN THOMSON (England, 1856-1940) | determined q/m for cathode rays. He was awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 1906. |
1899 |
PHILIPP EDUARD ANTON VON LENARD (Germany, 1862-1947) | showed that photoelectric emission is due to electrons. |
1899 |
JOSEPH JOHN THOMSON (England, 1856-1940) | showed that the Edison effect is due to electrons . |
1900 |
MAX KARL ERNST LUDWIG PLANCK (Germany, 1858-1947) | introduced the quantum theory of radiation-a revolutionary concept. He was awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 1918. |
1902 |
PHILIPP EDUARD ANTON VON LENARD (Germany, 1862-1947) | discovered photoelectric threshold frequency and also that the kinetic energy of photoelectrons is independent of the intensity of the incident light. |
1905 |
ALBERT EINSTEIN (Germany, Switzerland, USA, 1879-1955) | completed the statistical theory of Brownian movement, introduced the quantum explanation of the photoelectric effect, and announced the special theory |