Arthur Holly Compton Quotes

Arthur Holly Compton was born in Wooster, Ohio. He was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927 for his discovery of the Compton effect. He is also known for his leadership of the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory. He served as Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1945 to 1953. Further research along these lines led to the discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation. It was a sensational discovery at the time, for the wave nature of light had been well-demonstrated, but the idea that light could have a dual nature was not easily accepted. During World War II, Compton was a key figure in the Manhattan Project that developed the first nuclear weapons. After the war, Compton became Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis. He graduated from Wooster that year with a Bachelor of Science degree. He then also entered Princeton, where he received his Master of Arts degree in 1914. When he earned his PhD in 1916, Arthur, Karl and Wilson Compton became the first group of three brothers to earn PhDs from Princeton.