In the Light of the Electron Microscope in the Shadow of the Nobel Prize

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Nearly ninety and still in surprisingly good condition, the electron microscope, developed by brothers Ernst and Helmut Ruska and their brother-in-law Bodo von Borries, marks the dawn of modernity. Their groundbreaking idea from 1931 to use electrons for microscopy has significantly expanded human vision. In 1939, the world's first commercial overmicroscope was introduced in Berlin, paving the way for discoveries in the microscopic world. The development and application of overmicroscopy were revived in Düsseldorf in 1948. As a key research instrument, it has achieved remarkable success and garnered the attention of the Nobel Prize Committee twice. In 1986, the Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded for the invention of the Berlin electron microscope, and in 2017, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry recognized the sharp electron-optical imaging of fragile biomolecules through modern low-temperature applications. This book traces the journey of electron microscopy alongside its inventors, from Berlin to Düsseldorf.