Rosalind Franklin

Hello! My name is Rosalind Franklin. I was born in a big city called London, England, on July 25th, 1920. Even when I was a little girl, I was full of questions! I loved doing puzzles and science experiments. I always wanted to know how the world worked, from the biggest stars in the sky to the tiniest things you can't even see.

When I grew up, I became a scientist. My job was to take pictures of things that are so small they are invisible. I used a special kind of camera that used X-rays instead of light. In 1951, I started working at a place called King's College London. I wanted to take a picture of something very important inside all of us called DNA. Think of DNA as the secret instruction book that tells your body how to grow and what makes you, YOU!

Taking a picture of something so tiny was very tricky and took a long, long time. But in 1952, I did it! I took a picture that became very famous, called 'Photo 51.' It looked like a fuzzy 'X.' That 'X' was a giant clue! It showed that DNA was shaped like a twisty ladder. My picture was a very important piece of the puzzle that helped other scientists, named James Watson and Francis Crick, build a model and show everyone what DNA looked like. We had all helped to solve one of the biggest secrets of life!

I didn't get to live a very long life, but I was so proud of the work I did as a scientist. I lived to be 37 years old. Today, people remember me for my careful work and for taking the special photograph that helped unlock the secrets of DNA. My discovery helps doctors and scientists understand our bodies better and find new ways to keep everyone healthy.