Discovery of Radioactive Decay

Date: March 1, 1896 • Location: Paris, France

French physicist Henri Becquerel discovered the principle of radioactive decay when he exposed photographic plates to uranium salts.

Antoine Henri Becquerel was a French experimental physicist who shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Marie and Pierre Curie for his discovery of radioactivity.

This milestone marked a defining occurrence in France's and world history, leaving an indelible imprint on societal development, international relations, and cultural memory. Its enduring ramifications continue to be examined and commemorated by historians and scholars across the globe.