# Robert Millikan

_American physicist (1868–1953)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/robert-millikan
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Robert Andrews Millikan (March 22, 1868 – December 19, 1953) was an American experimental physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1923 "for his work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect."

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 22 March 1868 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Morrison ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P19))
- **Died:** 19 December 1953 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P570))
- **Place of death:** San Marino ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P106))
- **Education:** Columbia University; Oberlin College; University of Chicago; Maquoketa Community High School ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P69))
- **Spouse:** Greta Millikan ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P26))
- **Awards:** Comstock Prize in Physics; Edison Medal; Nobel Prize in Physics; Hughes Medal; Faraday Lectureship Prize; Matteucci Medal; ASME Medal; Franklin Medal; doctor honoris causa from the University of Paris; Oersted Medal; Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975#P166))

## About

As Chairman of the Executive Council of Caltech (the school's governing body at the time) from 1921 to 1945, Millikan helped to turn the school into one of the leading research institutions in the United States. He also served on the board of trustees for Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public, from 1921 to 1953.

## Questions

**When was Robert Millikan born?**  
Robert Millikan was born on 22 March 1868 in Morrison.

**Where did Robert Millikan study?**  
Robert Millikan was educated at Columbia University, Oberlin College, University of Chicago, Maquoketa Community High School.

## Related

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- [Steven Weinberg](https://diginpl.com/people/steven-weinberg)
- [Wolfgang Pauli](https://diginpl.com/people/wolfgang-pauli)
- [Erwin Schrödinger](https://diginpl.com/people/erwin-schrodinger)
- [Eugene Wigner](https://diginpl.com/people/eugene-wigner)
- [Hendrik Lorentz](https://diginpl.com/people/hendrik-lorentz)
- [Henri Becquerel](https://diginpl.com/people/henri-becquerel)
- [J. J. Thomson](https://diginpl.com/people/j-j-thomson)
- [James Chadwick](https://diginpl.com/people/james-chadwick)
- [Johannes Diderik van der Waals](https://diginpl.com/people/johannes-diderik-van-der-waals)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Robert Millikan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Millikan) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): रोबर्ट एन्ड्रयु मिलिकन](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F_%E0%A4%8F%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%81_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q130975](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130975) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Millikan.jpg by Nobel foundation (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millikan.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Robert Millikan, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Millikan.jpg — Nobel foundation, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Robert Millikan". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/robert-millikan. Retrieved 5 November 2026.