John Dalton (1766–1844) was an English chemist, meteorologist, and physicist, best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory. In 1803, Dalton proposed that all matter is composed of indivisible particles called atoms, each with its own unique properties. He suggested that atoms of different elements vary in size, mass, and properties and that chemical reactions involve the rearrangement of these atoms without their creation or destruction. Dalton’s atomic theory provided a conceptual framework for understanding chemical reactions and laid the foundation for the field of modern chemistry. Additionally, he introduced the concept of partial pressures in gases, known as Dalton’s law, and made significant contributions to meteorology, particularly in the study of color blindness. Dalton’s work has had a profound and lasting impact on the fields of chemistry, physics, and materials science.
John Dalton Quotes
1. “If I have succeeded better than many who surround me, it has been chiefly – may I say almost solely – from universal assiduity.”
— John Dalton
2. “No new creation or destruction of matter is within the reach of chemical agency. We might as well attempt to introduce a new planet into the solar system, or to annihilate one already in existence, as to create or destroy a particle of hydrogen.”
— John Dalton
3. “This paper will no doubt be found interesting by those who take an interest in it.”
— John Dalton
4. “It’s the right idea, but not the right time.”
— John Dalton
5. “I spent several years acquiring the obsessive, day-to-day discipline that’s needed if you want to write professionally, then several more, highly valuable years studying fiction writing at the University of Iowa.”
— John Dalton
6. “Reconsidering Happiness captures all the contradictory impulses of falling in and out of love-the lust and wanderlust, the contentment and restlessness, the secret loyalties, the hard compromises. Sherrie Flick has written a wise and elegant novel.”
— John Dalton