Henri Becquerel's Maltese Cross

Origin
Antonie Henri Becquerel (1852 - 1908) was a physicist, Nobel laureate and the discoverer of radioactivity. After Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen's discovery of X-rays Becquerel started to look into phosphorescent materials to see if they emit penetrating X-ray-like sunlight when illuminated by bright sunlight. His first experiments showed that uranium salts did in fact emit radiation. By mid 1896, he arrived at the conclusion that the radiation came from the uranium itself without any need for excitation by an external energy source. In 1903 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics "In recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by his discover of spontaneous radioactivity."

Effects
With the many hours spend in the lab searching for radioactivity the Maltese Cross he wore absorbed the radiation. In order for the artifact to activate direct sunlight is needed. Unfortunately for Becquerel he died in 1908 from radiation poisoning after wearing the cross to an outdoor event.