Theodore William Richards

Date of Birth: January 31, 1868

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Date of Death: April 2, 1928

Biography

Theodore William Richards was an eminent American chemist and the first American scientist to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Born on January 31, 1868, in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Richards was the son of talented artist William Trost Richards and poet Anna Matlack. He attended Haverford College and later Harvard University, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1888 under the mentorship of Josiah Parsons Cooke. Richards is best known for his precise determinations of atomic weights, which corrected many values that were previously accepted. His meticulous work laid the foundation for modern atomic theory and earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1914. Throughout his career, he published over 200 scientific papers and was a member of numerous scientific societies. Richards passed away on April 2, 1928, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, leaving behind a legacy of scientific rigor and precision.

5 Interesting Facts about Theodore William Richards

1. Theodore William Richards was the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

2. He accurately determined the atomic weights of over 25 elements.

3. Richards was a Harvard University professor for over three decades.

4. He developed an improved method for determining atomic weights by using a mass spectrometer.

5. Richards was awarded the prestigious Davy Medal by the Royal Society in 1910.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Theodore William Richards

1. “Science is the systematic classification of experience.”

2. “The ultimate aim of all science is to penetrate the unknown.”

3. “Precision is the soul of science.”

4. “One must be a seer to be a great scientist.”

5. “The pursuit of truth, and beauty, is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

The highest net worth achieved by Theodore William Richards is not well-documented, as net worth estimations were not commonly recorded for scientists in his era. However, his contributions to science were invaluable, and his work remains foundational in the field of chemistry.