Peter Higgs

29 May 1929 – 8 April 2024

Peter Higgs (1929-2024) was a British theoretical physicist who in 1964 proposed the mechanism by which elementary particles acquire mass, predicting the existence of the Higgs boson. The particle's discovery at CERN in 2012 confirmed his theory, and he shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics with François Englert.

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Life events

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England
29 May 1929

Peter Ware Higgs was born in the Elswick district of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Graduated with first-class honours in physics from King's College London
1950

Higgs earned his undergraduate degree in physics at King's College London.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Earned PhD in molecular physics from King's College London
1954

Higgs completed his doctorate at King's College London with a thesis on molecular vibrations.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Took up a lectureship at the University of Edinburgh
1960

Higgs settled permanently at the University of Edinburgh, where he spent the rest of his academic career.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married Jody Williamson
1963

Higgs married Jody Williamson, an American linguist; the couple had two sons before later separating.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published papers proposing the Higgs mechanism and Higgs boson
1964

In 1964 Higgs published work showing how gauge bosons can acquire mass through symmetry breaking, predicting a new massive scalar particle later named the Higgs boson.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Appointed Professor of Theoretical Physics at Edinburgh
1980

Higgs was promoted to a personal chair in theoretical physics at the University of Edinburgh.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Higgs boson discovered at CERN
4 July 2012

The ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider announced the discovery of a particle consistent with the Higgs boson, confirming his 1964 prediction.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics
8 October 2013

Higgs shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics with François Englert for the theoretical discovery of the mass-generating mechanism.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Edinburgh, Scotland
8 April 2024

Higgs died at his home in Edinburgh at the age of 94.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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