Year Awarded: 1905
Year of Discovery: 1893+
Phillip Eduard Anton von Lenard: 1862 – 1947
Lenard was born in what was then Hungary but he was a staunch German nationalist, anti-Semite, and a supporter of Nazi ideology and Hitler. As such he was skeptical of the theories of relativity and labeled Einsteins work as ‘Jewish physics’
Lenard’s major contributions to physics were in the study of cathode rays. Which he took from a rather primitive state to quite an advanced one, finally arriving at the understanding that cathode rays were streams of negatively charged particles (electrons). This also was pioneering work in more correctly understanding the structure of the atom. Many physicists of the day had a hand in various aspects of cathode rays and related discoveries.
He also became very resentful of Röntgen who was recognized for discovering x-rays, figuring that he should deserve the credit seeing as he invented the method of producing them.
Impact of the discovery:
Cathode Rays, or more commonly Electron Beams led to the discovery of the electron and x-rays and are specifically used in:
Tube type televisions
Oscilloscopes
Electron Microscopes
Electron Beam Lithography
Particle Accelerators