Discovery of the Electron (1897)

J.J. Thomson (1897): Thomson discovered the electron through his experiments with cathode rays. He demonstrated that cathode rays were composed of negatively charged particles, which he initially called “corpuscles.” Thomson’s work provided the first evidence of subatomic particles and led to the development of the “plum pudding” model of the atom, where electrons were thought to be embedded in a positively charged “soup.”