Dorothy Hodgkin
A master of molecular cartography, she used X-rays to map the intricate architecture of life-saving compounds like penicillin and insulin.
1910–1994 (age 84)·English chemist·Birthday: May 12·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Dorothy Hodgkin spent her life solving the world's most complex three-dimensional puzzles. Working in an Oxford laboratory, she pioneered and perfected the painstaking technique of X-ray crystallography, using it to deduce the atomic structure of molecules crucial to medicine and biology. With determination and immense mathematical skill, she and her team unveiled the molecular blueprint of penicillin during World War II, explaining how the antibiotic worked. She then tackled vitamin B12, a project that took eight years and won her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. Her crowning, decades-long effort was solving the structure of insulin, a project she began in 1935 and finally completed in 1969, opening the door to improved diabetes treatments. Working often with simple tools and relentless patience, Hodgkin combined scientific brilliance with a quiet, collaborative spirit, mentoring generations of scientists in a field she helped define.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Dorothy was born in 1910, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dorothy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1910
Dorothy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1910Born
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1915Started school
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Became a teenager
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1926Could drive
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1928Could vote
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1931Turned 21
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1940Turned 30
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1950Turned 40
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 50
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 60
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 70
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 80
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1994Died at 84
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
Key Achievements
- Awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for determining the structures of important biochemical substances, notably vitamin B12.
- Deciphered the three-dimensional atomic structure of penicillin in 1945, aiding its development as a drug.
- Spent over three decades finally mapping the complete structure of the protein insulin in 1969.
- Was the first woman to receive the prestigious Order of Merit in the UK, in 1965.
- Mentored and supported numerous scientists, including future Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during her undergraduate studies.
Did You Know?
She was the third woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, after Marie Curie and Irène Joliot-Curie.
Despite crippling rheumatoid arthritis that deformed her hands, she performed intricate manipulations of her crystal models.
She was a committed peace activist and served as president of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.
One of her chemistry students at Oxford was a young Margaret Thatcher, who kept a portrait of Hodgkin in her office.
“I was captured for life by chemistry and by crystals.”
