John Dalton
1766–1844 · British · Enlightenment / Romantic Era
Known for: Proposed the atomic theory of matter and first described color blindness
John Dalton proposed that all matter consists of indivisible atoms with specific weights—the atomic theory that became the foundation of modern chemistry. He established that elements combine in fixed proportions and created the first table of atomic weights.
He was also color-blind and was the first to describe the condition scientifically using himself as a subject. The condition is still called 'Daltonism' in several languages.
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