Max Planck Born: The Reluctant Father of Quantum Physics
Max Planck didn't want to overturn physics. He was trying to solve an embarrassing mathematical problem in 1900 — why the equations describing radiation from a heated object broke down at high frequencies. His fix was to assume energy came in discrete packets. He called it a 'lucky guess' and 'an act of desperation.' He spent years trying to walk it back. Eventually he accepted it was real. The quantum revolution he accidentally started earned him the Nobel in 1918. Born April 23, 1858, in Kiel.
April 23, 1858
168 years ago
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