Henry Moseley, a promising English physicist, revolutionized our understanding of atomic structure before his untimely death at Gallipoli in 1915. Born in 1877, Moseley excelled in science, studying at Oxford and later working under Ernest Rutherford at the University of Manchester. In 1913, Moseley conducted groundbreaking experiments, demonstrating that an element's atomic number directly correlated with its X-ray emissions. This discovery confirmed the periodic table's arrangement by atomic number rather than atomic weight, resolving longstanding inconsistencies and giving rise to Moseley's Law. His work significantly advanced atomic physics and practical applications in identifying elements. Despite his scientific importance, Moseley enlisted during World War I, feeling a patriotic duty to serve. Tragically, he was killed at age 27, a loss lamented as setting science back. His death led to policies preventing prominent scientists from serving on the front lines. Moseley's contributions endure as a critical foundation of modern atomic theory, while his story highlights the immense human potential lost to war.
Sources and further reading:
archive.org/details/londonedinburg6261913lond/page/1024/mode/2up
www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/henry-moseley-patriotic-scientist-who-changed-periodic-table-and-then-went-war
www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-dual-legacies-of-henry-moseley/
Thanks to Animations for Physics and Astronomy for video
ua-cam.com/video/3fe6rHnhkuY/v-deo.html