History of the Atom

You might be sitting in chemistry class thinking, “How did we end up here?”, “How did we figure all this out?” or “Why do we care?”

Well, over your chemistry odyssey you will get the opportunity to learn many stories about some interesting people. Tracking how far we have developed our knowledge can give an appreciation for all the advancements we have. 

History of the Atom Infographic by Compound Interest

The infographic below shows some of the theories and models that have developed over the past 200 years. Note that much of our history of scientific contributions erases the contributions made by non-Western and non-male scientists.

Helpful tips:

• Remember that these scientists are also people. People are flawed

• Learning more about who they are can sometimes help you remember what they discovered.

• IMPORTANT: This is just what we have documented. We do not know exactly who was in the room.

Advancements by Chemistry Infographic by Compound Interest