August 30, 1871 – Ernest Rutherford is born in Brightwater, New Zealand. Born fourth of twelve children.
1886 – Wins a scholarship to attend Nelson Collegiate School, a private secondary school, where he excels in math and science.
1890 – Wins scholarship to attend Canterbury College in Christchurch, New Zealand. The college is one of the campuses of the University of New Zealand.
1892 – Earns Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Zealand at Canterbury College.
1983 – Earns Master of arts degree with first class honors in physics and mathematics.
1894 – Earns Bachelor of Science degree.
1895 – Awarded scholarship to study at Cambridge University in England for postgraduate education. Studies under Cavendish Laboratory Professor of Physics J.J. Thomson, who is a leading expert on electromagnetic radiation. Develops a device to detect radio waves.
1897 – Receives research degree from Cambridge University.
1898 – Becomes physics professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Begins to study the newly discovered radioactivity. Develops the concept of half-life of radioactive material.
1899 – Coins the terms alpha and beta radiation.
1900 – Marries Mary Georgina Newton from New Zealand. They have one daughter, Eileen.
1902 to 1903 – With the help of the chemist Frederick Soddy, Rutherford develops the transformation theory, or disintegration theory, as an explanation for radioactivity.
1904 – Publishes the book Radioactivity.
1907 – Becomes chair of physics at the Victoria University of Manchester. With the help of German physicist Hans Geiger, Rutherford develops an electrical counter for ionized particles.
1908 – Awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances.”
1909 – Carries out the Geiger-Marsden experiment, which demonstrates the nuclear nature by deflecting alpha particles passing through a thin gold foil.
1911 – Conceives the Rutherford atomic model: The atom is not uniformly solid but rather consists mostly of empty space, with its mass concentrated in a tiny nucleus.
1914 – Knighted.
1914 to 1918 – World War I, becomes involved as a civilian working for the British government in antisubmarine research.
1919 – Becomes director of Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University.
1919 to 1920 – Finds that nitrogen and other light elements eject a proton when hit with an alpha particle.
1919 – Stimulates a nuclear reaction in a stable element.
1920 – Postulates the hydrogen nucleus to be a new particle, which he calls the proton.
1921 – While working with Niels Bohr, Rutherford theorizes about the existence of the neutron.
1925 to 1930 – President of the Royal Society.
1931 – Granted peerage as First Baron Rutherford of Nelson, New Zealand, and Cambridge. His daughter dies. Becomes member of the House of Lords, making his popular title Lord Rutherford.
1932 – Rutherford’s associate, James Chadwick, discovers the neutron.
October 19, 1937 – Dies in Cambridge, England, and is buried in Westminster Abbey next to Isaac Newton.