Henri Becquerel

Hello. My name is Henri Becquerel, and I was a scientist in France. Ever since I was a little boy, I loved science. My dad was a scientist, and so was my grandpa. We loved to study light and all the wonderful things that glow and sparkle. I was especially curious about rocks that could glow in the sun. I wondered what gave them their special light. I loved asking questions and trying to find the answers to them.

One day in the year 1896, I was doing an experiment with a special, heavy rock called uranium. I thought it needed sunlight to make it glow. I wrapped the rock up and put it in a dark drawer with some special paper that takes pictures. But then, the sun didn't come out for a few days. The sky was very cloudy. I decided to look at my special paper anyway. And guess what. The rock had made a picture on the paper all by itself, right there in the dark. It was like magic. The rock had its own secret, invisible energy.

I was so excited. I told my friends, Marie and Pierre Curie, who were also amazing scientists. They helped me study this new power. Marie even gave it a name: radioactivity. Our discovery was like finding a secret key that unlocked a whole new way of understanding the world. I lived to be 55 years old, and people remember me for finding this hidden energy. It showed us that even in the tiniest things, there can be big surprises and lots of power.