1856-1940

British physicist who discovered the electron (1897). Thomson improved upon Jean Perrin's results by accurately determining the charge-to-mass ratio of cathode ray particles. These new particles were later named "electrons" by George Stoney. Thomson's device for measuring charge-to-mass ratios developed into the cathode ray oscilloscope, which is widely used as a research tool and in television receivers. Thomson helped establish the preeminence of the Cavendish Laboratory in experimental physics and was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in physics.