Science for the Public series: They Didn't Believe It! Brief stories about science discoveries that were very slow to be accepted November 07, 2019: The Atom

Like many major discoveries and ideas in science, the basic concept of the atom dates back centuries. The theory of a tiny, invisible particle that would generate all material forms was circulated in ancient India and Greece. But the concept was always disputed. Major thinkers, among them Aristotle, flatly rejected the idea of invisible particles forming all the objects in nature. The atom was not officially accepted until the early 20th century. What a story!