# Ernst Ruska

_German physicist (1906–1988)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/ernst-ruska
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Ernst August Friedrich Ruska was a German physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986 for his work in electron optics, including the design of the first electron microscope.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 25 December 1906 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Heidelberg ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022#P19))
- **Died:** 27 May 1988 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022#P570))
- **Place of death:** West Berlin ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Germany; allied-occupied Germany ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; university teacher; inventor; electrical engineer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022#P106))
- **Education:** Technische Universität Berlin; Technical University of Munich; Kurfürst-Friedrich-Gymnasium (Heidelberg) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022#P69))
- **Awards:** Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research; Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Ernst Reuter Medal; Nobel Prize in Physics; Rudolf-Diesel-Medaille; Robert Koch Gold Medal; Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize; Cothenius Medal; Silver Leibniz medal; Dennis Gabor Medal and Prize ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022#P166))

## Questions

**When was Ernst Ruska born?**  
Ernst Ruska was born on 25 December 1906 in Heidelberg.

**Where did Ernst Ruska study?**  
Ernst Ruska was educated at Technische Universität Berlin, Technical University of Munich, Kurfürst-Friedrich-Gymnasium (Heidelberg).

## Related

- [Adolf Windaus](https://diginpl.com/people/adolf-windaus)
- [Albrecht Kossel](https://diginpl.com/people/albrecht-kossel)
- [Arno Allan Penzias](https://diginpl.com/people/arno-allan-penzias)
- [Benjamin List](https://diginpl.com/people/benjamin-list)
- [Bernard Katz](https://diginpl.com/people/bernard-katz)
- [Bert Sakmann](https://diginpl.com/people/bert-sakmann)
- [Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard](https://diginpl.com/people/christiane-nusslein-volhard)
- [Ernst Otto Fischer](https://diginpl.com/people/ernst-otto-fischer)
- [Erwin Neher](https://diginpl.com/people/erwin-neher)
- [Feodor Lynen](https://diginpl.com/people/feodor-lynen)
- [Friedrich Bergius](https://diginpl.com/people/friedrich-bergius)
- [Fritz Albert Lipmann](https://diginpl.com/people/fritz-albert-lipmann)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Ernst Ruska](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Ruska) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q71022](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q71022) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Ernst Ruska Electron Microscope - Deutsches Museum - Munich-edit.jpg by J Brew , uploaded on the English-speaking Wikipedia by en:User:Hat'nCoat . (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ernst_Ruska_Electron_Microscope_-_Deutsches_Museum_-_Munich-edit.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Ernst Ruska, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Ernst Ruska Electron Microscope - Deutsches Museum - Munich-edit.jpg — J Brew , uploaded on the English-speaking Wikipedia by en:User:Hat'nCoat ., CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Ernst Ruska". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/ernst-ruska. Retrieved 5 November 2026.