Question: how was the idea of nano first thought of, and by who? thanks! :)

Sinead Cullen answered on 15 Nov 2013:

Hi,

Well the first ideas and concepts behind nanoscience and nanotechnology started came from Richard Feyman, who is known as the father of nanotechnology. He was an American Physicist and he won the Nobel Prize in 1965.

In 1959, Feyman gave a talk which was called “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”.
He asked the question “Why cannot we write the entire 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin?” Can you image what people thought when he asked this? That it was impossible.

In his talk, he described a things which scientists would be able to manipulate and control individual atoms and molecules.

Over 10 years later, Professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology whilst he was trying to find a way to do really precise machining on really really small things.
It wasn’t until 1981, that people could “see” individual atoms. They were able to do this using a really powerful type of microscope called the Scanning Tunnel Microscope.

Hope this helps:)