# William Henry Bragg

_British scientist (1862–1942)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/william-henry-bragg
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Sir William Henry Bragg was a British X-ray crystallographer who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son Lawrence Bragg – the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics "for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays," an important step in the development of X-ray crystallography.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 2 July 1862 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Wigton ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P19))
- **Died:** 12 March 1942 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P570))
- **Place of death:** London ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United Kingdom ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; chemist; lacrosse player; university teacher; mathematician; crystallographer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P106))
- **Education:** Trinity College; Old Grammar School; King William's College ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P69))
- **Spouse:** Gwendoline Todd ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P26))
- **Positions held:** President of the Royal Society (1935–1940) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P39))
- **Awards:** Fellow of the Royal Society; Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Copley Medal; Nobel Prize in Physics; Faraday Medal; Rumford Medal; Matteucci Medal; John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science; Franklin Medal; Royal Society Bakerian Medal; Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747#P166))

## Questions

**When was William Henry Bragg born?**  
William Henry Bragg was born on 2 July 1862 in Wigton.

**What positions has William Henry Bragg held?**  
Positions held by William Henry Bragg include: President of the Royal Society (1935–1940).

**Where did William Henry Bragg study?**  
William Henry Bragg was educated at Trinity College, Old Grammar School, King William's College.

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- [Alan Hodgkin](https://diginpl.com/people/alan-hodgkin)
- [Patrick Blackett](https://diginpl.com/people/patrick-blackett)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): William Henry Bragg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Bragg) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): विलियम हेनरी ब्रैग](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AE_%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q133747](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133747) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Wh-bragg.jpg by Nobel foundation (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wh-bragg.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

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

## Cite this page

"William Henry Bragg". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/william-henry-bragg. Retrieved 4 November 2026.