William Crookes Rank
About William Crookes
The British scientist gained fame as a result of his pioneering contributions towards the discovery of thallium and radiometer. He also extended his research into cathode rays and inorganic evolution and discovered the Crookes tube during his enquiry into cathode rays. He carried out an inquiry into spectroscopy and published many papers on the subject. He was adept at conducting experiments on a variety of minor subjects.
Early Life & Education
The London native was the oldest among 16 siblings. He studied at the Royal College of Chemistry, after which he was employed as the superintendent of the meteorological department of Radcliffe Observatory.
Career as a Researcher
With the support of the estate inherited from his father, he launched an experimental expedition to discover the behaviour of cathode rays. Some of his theories, particularly about radiant matter, were found to be faulty. Several experiments later, he switched to an original work that involved the compounds of selenium. The process was detailed in his first published papers.
In 1861, he discovered thallium in some seleniferous deposits. He continued investigating that new substance, separated it, studied its properties, and in 1873 recorded its atomic weight. His high sense of ambition drove him to conduct further ground-breaking experiments into areas such as the sodium amalgamation process involved in extracting gold.
Crookes' research did not yield much financial success yet his brilliance was unmatched. He produced the vacuum that helped discover x-rays and electrons.
Society for Psychical Research
From 1870 to 1900, he set out to investigate mediums and was exposed to a vast amount of knowledge in such areas as spiritualism, demonology, witchcraft and more. In 1987, he was appointed president of the Society for Psychical Research.
Honors
Acclaimed as one of the most critical of the inventors of the 19th century, he earned the following honors:
- The Royal Medal in 1875, the Davy Medal in 1888, and the Copley Medal in 1904.
- He was knighted in 1897 and was awarded the Order of Merit in 1910.
- Crookes was awarded a gold medal by the French Academy of Sciences.
Personal Life
He got married to Ellen Humphrey in 1856. By Ellen, he fathered nine children.
William Crookes Rank
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F.A.Q. about William Crookes
When is his birthday?
William Crookes' birthday is on June 17, 1832.
In how many days is his birthday?
William's birthday is in 99 days
How old was William when he died?
He was 86 years old.
When did he die?
He died in April 4, 1919.
How old would he be today?
William Crookes would be 192 years old if he was alive today.
Where was William from?
He was born in London, England, UK.