Robert Andrews Millikan — Age, Birthday & Biography
Born: 22 March 1868 · Died: 19 December 1953 · Age: 85
American physicist who measured the charge of a single electron
Did you know?He initially tried to disprove Albert Einstein's theory of the photoelectric effect before his own results confirmed it was correct.
Quick facts
Date of birth22 March 1868
Date of death19 December 1953
Age at death85
Cause of deathMyocardial infarction
NationalityAmerican
BirthplaceMorrison, United States
Occupationphysicist, university teacher
Editor's Take:
Robert Millikan made the electron something you could measure. With tiny charged oil drops suspended between metal plates, he showed that electric charge comes in fixed units. He then tested Einstein's theory of light and, despite his doubts, confirmed it. As head of Caltech he built a small college into a scientific powerhouse. Historians have questioned how he selected his data. His central results, however, have stood the test of time.
Key Milestones
1909: Begins his oil-drop experiments
1913: Publishes his value for the electron's charge
1921: Becomes head of Caltech
1923: Wins the Nobel Prize in Physics
Robert Andrews Millikan (March 22, 1868 – December 19, 1953) was an American experimental physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1923 "for his work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect." As Chairman of the Executive Council of Caltech (the school's governing body at the…
Robert Andrews Millikan's birthday is March 22. He was born on March 22, 1868 in Morrison, United States.
How old was Robert Andrews Millikan when he died?
Robert Andrews Millikan died on December 19, 1953, aged 85.
Who shares a birthday with Robert Andrews Millikan?
Famous people who share Robert Andrews Millikan's March 22 birthday include Reese Witherspoon, Wilhelm I, Anthony van Dyck, Maximilian I and Ulugh Beg.
