John Cockcroft Rank
About John Cockcroft
1951 Nobel Prize in Physics winner Sir John Douglas Cockcroft was a British physicist who transformed subatomic physics when he did the unimaginable by splitting the atomic nucleus in 1932. He is also recognized for his contribution to the creation of nuclear power.
Early Life
The physicist was born to John Arthur Cockcroft and Annie Maude née Fielden. Cockcroft had a short spell with the Western Front fighting alongside the Royal Field Artillery during World War I.
His love for physics led him to study electrical engineering at Victoria University of Manchester from 1914 to 1915. He later went on to enroll at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology from 1919 to 1920. He also studied at St John's College from 1922 to 1924.
Career
Cockcroft became a research student of Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand physicist after graduation. Combining intellectual prowess with Mark Oliphant, they engineered the Cockcroft–Walton generator, which became the machinery that was used to perform the first artificial disintegration of an atomic nucleus, Ernest Walton. This became known as nuclear transmutation. Cockcroft became the director of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment and helped build the first nuclear reactor to operate in Western Europe in 1947.
The physicist also became the first Master of Churchill College from 1959 to 1967 and the chancellor of the Australian National University from 1961 to 1965.
Personal Life
The physicist married Elizabeth Crabtree in 1925.
Achievements
Cockcroft was honored with the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1944 and the Order of Merit in 1957.
John Cockcroft Rank
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F.A.Q. about John Cockcroft
When is his birthday?
John Cockcroft's birthday is on May 27, 1897.
In how many days is his birthday?
John's birthday is in 239 days
How old was John when he died?
He was 70 years old.
When did he die?
He died in September 18, 1967.
How old would he be today?
John Cockcroft would be 126 years old if he was alive today.
Where was John from?
He was born in England, UK.