Scientist of the day - Wilhelm Röntgen

Full Name: Wilhelm Röntgen 
Nationality: German

Profession: Physicist and Nobel Laureate  
Why Famous: Produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays, an achievement that earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Also has the element 111, roentgenium, a very radioactive element with multiple unstable isotopes, named after him.

Born: March 27, 1845

Birthplace: Lennep, Rhine Province, Germany

Died: February 10, 1923 (aged 77) 

Married Life

• 1872-01-19 Physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (26) weds Anna Bertha Ludwig in Apeldoorn, Netherlands

Historical Events in the Life of Wilhelm Röntgen

• 1895-11-08 German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen produces and detects electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays or Röntgen rays
• 1896-01-01 German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of x-rays
• 1896-01-05 "Die Presse" newspaper (Germany) publicly announces Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery of X-rays and their potential for new methods of medical diagnoses in a front-page article
• 1901-12-10 First Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Wilhelm Röntgen for his discovery of X-rays

Earth Hour 2017

 

2017 marks the 10th annual Earth Hour - the world's biggest environment event. It will be held from 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm on Saturday, March 25.

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of Earth Hour – the world’s biggest environment event. Millions of people across the world will show their love and care for the planet by switching their lights off at 8:30 pm for an hour. Earth Hour has one big agenda: to unite people to protect the planet,  support for a low pollution, and clean energy future.

What is Earth Hour and when it was started?

Earth Hour is the world’s largest movement for the environment, organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The idea is to encourage people to turn off their lights for 60 minutes in the evening. Initially, it started as a  a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. Since then, the event has grown to include 7000 cities and towns worldwide.

When is Earth Hour 2017?

Last year, Earth Hour took place between 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, local time, on Saturday March 19. In 2017, it will be held from 8:30 pm and 9: 30 pm on Saturday, March 25.

Why is Earth Hour important?

The question is why we should care about the event that is voluntary in nature. Turning off your light for an hour is not going to have a huge impact, right? Shutting off light for one hour a year doesn’t prevent global warming. It may not seem like a big change, but at least it puts climate change in front of us. Just remember: small things can make a big impact!  We all want a healthy life for the next-generation which is why Earth Hour is important.