George Alcorn Did Not Invent the X-ray Spectrometer; Henry Moseley Did in 1913

Historical Fact

Henry Moseley (1887–1915) built the first X-ray spectrometer in 1913 at Manchester, establishing Moseley's Law (√ν ∝ Z) and confirming atomic number as fundamental property.

George Alcorn's Actual Contributions

• NASA physicist/engineer (1940–2024).
• Invented imaging X-ray spectrometer for planetary mapping (1980s)—used on Mars Observer, later missions.
• Developed semiconductor devices, plasma etching.
• 8 patents; National Inventors Hall of Fame (2015).

Clarification

Alcorn advanced spaceborne X-ray spectroscopy; he did not invent the original laboratory X-ray spectrometer.