Physics: 1913

Kamerlingh Onnes, Heike, pronounced KA mur lihng AWN ehs, HY kuh (1853-1926), a Dutch physicist, discovered a phenomenon called superconductivity. In 1911, he found that mercury could, at extremely low temperatures, conduct electrical current without resistance. This discovery, which Kamerlingh Onnes called "supraconductivity," later became known as superconductivity.

Superconducting materials have helped scientists make many important advances. For example, superconducting magnets have enabled people to build particle accelerators. Scientists use particle accelerators to study subatomic particles (particles smaller than atoms).

Kamerlingh Onnes was born in Groningen, the Netherlands. In 1879, he received a doctoral degree from the University of Groningen. He then taught at the University of Leiden for most of his life. In 1908, Kamerlingh Onnes became the first person to liquefy helium, a gas that can only become liquid at extremely low temperatures. This work earned him the 1913 Nobel Prize for physics.