Antoine Henri Becquerel

The Frenchman Antoine Henri Becquerel (1852 - 1908), born to a physicist, was an experimental physicist.

In 1896, he discovered spontaneous radioactivity while studying phosphorescence, a famous example of serendipity. He discovered that radioactivity could be used for medicine, which led to the development of radiotherapy.

He lent his name to the becquerel, the unit of activity.