The History of the Atom

The word Atom comes from the term átomos, which means 'uncuttable'

In 1805, the English philosopher John Dalton suggested that each element consists of unique atoms

Ernest Rutherford named the proton in 1920 after the hydrogen atom, which only has one proton

Through experimenting with cathode rays, JJ Thompson discovered the electron in 1897. For more information on this experiment, click here

in 1932, James Chadwick discovered the neutron

Hydrogen atom

In 1913, Neils Bohr suggested that these electrons circle the nucleus in orbits

The History of the Atom

Atoms