1853-1926

Dutch Experimental Physicist

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes is best known for his life-long investigations into the properties of matter at very low temperatures. The very first experimental physicist to liquefy helium in 1908, Kamerlingh Onnes went a step further in the field of cryogenics when, in 1911, he discovered what is called today superconductivity.

Born in Groningen, The Netherlands, in 1853, Kamerlingh Onnes entered the city's university at age 17. After receiving his "candidaats" degree (approx. B.Sc.) in 1871, he went to Heidelberg, Germany, as a student of Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811-1899) and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (1824-1887) from October 1871 to April 1873. He then returned to Groningen to complete his studies, where he passed his "doctoraal" examination (approx. M.Sc.) in 1878; a year later he was awarded the doctorate magna cum laude. Kamerlingh Onnes's academic career began when he was appointed assistant at Delft Polytechnic School, a position he...