Atom history
History of Atoms
Some thoughts on humankind's view of atoms and matter
by Dean Zollman
These short essays are posted on the blog Outtakes of a Historical Novelist (Links to an external site.). One essay is posted on the first Friday of each month. The essays are in approximate historic order starting before the ancient Greeks and, so far, into the early 20th Century.
What Are Things Made of? Depends on When You Ask. (Links to an external site.)
Ancient Greeks Were the First to Hypothesize Atoms (Links to an external site.)
The Poetry of Atoms (Links to an external site.)
Atom Theory in Ancient India (Links to an external site.)
Religion, Science Clashed over Atoms (Links to an external site.)
Medieval Arabic Scholarship Might Have Preserved Scientific Knowledge (Links to an external site.)
Rediscovering a Roman Poet – and Atom Theory – Centuries Later (Links to an external site.)
Reconciling Atom Theory with Religion (Links to an external site.)
Did Atom Theory Play a Role in Galileo’s Trouble with the Inquisition? (Links to an external site.)
Did Gifted Scientist’s Belief in Atoms Led to His Obscurity? (Links to an external site.)
Does Atom Theory Apply to the Earthly and the Divine? (Links to an external site.)
A Duchess Inspired by Atoms (Links to an external site.)
Separating Atoms from Atheism (Links to an external site.)
Isaac Newton: 300 Years Ahead of His Time (Links to an external site.)
Issac Newton and the Philosopher’s Stone (Links to an external site.)
When Chemistry and Physics Split (Links to an external site.)
Redefining Elements (Links to an external site.)
Mme Lavoisier: Partner in Science, Partner in Life (Links to an external site.)
With Atoms, Proportionality and Simplicity Rule (Links to an external site.)
Despite Evidence of Atoms, 19th Century Skeptics Didn’t Budge (Links to an external site.)
Rivalry over the First Periodic Table (Links to an external site.)
The Puzzle of Dark Lines Amid Rainbow Colors (Links to an external site.)
The Colorful Signature of Each Element (Links to an external site.)
Light Waves by the Numbers (Links to an external site.)
Even Scientific Dead-Ends Contribute (Links to an external site.)
The Discovery of the Electron Took Decades and Multiple Scientists (Links to an external site.)
Wonders of X-rays (Links to an external site.)
The Accidental Discovery of Radioactivity
Marie Curie: A Determined Scientist
Pierre and Marie Curie Extract Radium – and Pay a High Price
Scientists Delve into Radioactivity and Make Their Own Discoveries