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Radioactivity was first observed in 1896 by Antoine Henri Becquerel.
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| Clicking on this picture will link you to a web page all about alpha radiation. |
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| Clicking on this picture will take you to a link all about beta particles. |
Alpha and beta radiation was first discovered and named in 1899 by Ernest Rutherford. In 1990 Paul Villard identified gamma rays. Marie and Pierre Curie extended the work on radioactivity, demonstrating the radioactive properties of throrium and discovering the highly radioactive element radium in 1898. Frederic and Irene Joliot-Curie discovered the first example of artificial radioactivity in 1934 by bombarding nonradioactive elements with alpha particles. |
