Kamerlingh Onnes was born on September 21, 1853, in Groningen, the Netherlands. He entered the University of Groningen in 1870, but interrupted his studies in 1872 to spend three semesters at the University of Heidelberg. There he studied with Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff. In April 1873, Kamerlingh Onnes returned to Groningen to complete his studies, earning a doctorate in 1879.

In 1878, Kamerlingh Onnes accepted a teaching position at the Polytechnic School at Delft. While there, he came into contact with Johannes van der Walls, from whom he learned about current problems related to the molecular theory of matter. Van der Waals was to remain an important influence on Kamerlingh Onnes's career.

In 1882, Kamerlingh Onnes was appointed professor of physics at the University of Leiden. He remained in that position for the next forty-two years. During that period, Kamerlingh Onnes made the Cryogenic Laboratory at Leiden the center of low-temperature research in the world...