Briefmarken des Themas Kernenergie

To be extremely brief in describing this very complex subject, in 1805 Englishman John Dalton – considered to be the originator of modern atomic theory – proposed that each element that exists consists of atoms of a single, unique type, and that these atoms can join together to form chemical compounds. Although academics from earlier centuries and different cultures had also theorized about the existence of atoms, far greater understanding of the subject came about in the early part of the 20th Century when German (later to become American citizen) Albert Einstein produced papers and equations which eventually led to other important scientific developments towards our knowledge of atomic and molecular theory. His work also pre-empted the use of nuclear energy to produce the atomic weapons first used in the Second World War, though he was a pacifist. Many stamps have been produced to celebrate the various discoveries and achievements by atomic scientists over the years.