Antoine Henri Becquerel -

: In 1901, after being accidentally burned by a vial of radium in his pocket, he realized that radioactivity could affect living tissue. This led to the birth of radiotherapy for treating cancer. Awards and Legacy Henri Becquerel – Facts - NobelPrize.org

Becquerel's most famous achievement was an accidental discovery involving uranium salts. antoine henri becquerel

Beyond the initial discovery, Becquerel’s research advanced the field in several ways: : In 1901, after being accidentally burned by

: Days later, he developed the plate and found a clear, dark image of the crystals—meaning they were emitting "penetrating rays" spontaneously, without any external energy source like the sun. : Inspired by the discovery of X-rays, Becquerel

: He was the first to realize that beta particles were identical to the high-speed electrons recently discovered by J.J. Thomson.

: Inspired by the discovery of X-rays, Becquerel wanted to see if phosphorescent materials emitted X-rays after being exposed to sunlight.