Rosalind Franklin

The story, in brief.

Rosalind Elsie Franklin was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Her work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal, and graphite. Although her works on coal and viruses were appreciated in her lifetime, Franklin's contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA were largely unrecognised during her life, for which Franklin has been variously referred to as the "wronged heroine", the "dark lady of DNA", the "forgotten heroine", a "feminist icon", and the "Sylvia Plath of molecular biology". James Watson believed that, had she not died, ideally, Franklin would have been awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Introduction from Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full biography ↗

A life in milestones.

Selected records from Wikidata. Ages are approximate; “c.” marks uncertain dates. This is a starting point for exploration, not a complete life history.

1. 1920
   Life

   Born in Notting Hill

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2. 1931~ age 11
   Education

   St Paul's Girls' School

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3. 1938~ age 18
   Education

   Newnham College

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4. 1951~ age 31
   Work

   King's College London

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5. 1958~ age 38
   Life

   Death

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