Jewish World Records emblemJewish World Records
Back to all records
JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000118

First Jewish Person to Win the Nobel Prize in Physics

Record holder

Albert A. MichelsonPerson

Record value

10 December 1907

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Stockholm, SwedenAchievement date: 10 December 1907Current record

Challenge this record

Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Albert A. Michelson seated at a desk, circa 1930

Albert A. Michelson, circa 1930.Los Angeles Times / UCLA Library / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY 4.0

Official record definition

The earliest natural person who satisfied the JWR Jewish Eligibility Standard at the time of achievement and personally received a Nobel Prize in Physics. Shared prizes count; nominees, institutions, honorary recognition and awards in other Nobel categories are excluded.

Measurement methodology

Chronological review of the official Nobel Physics laureate chronology combined with Jewish-eligibility evidence.

Measurement point: Nobel Prize in Physics award for 1907; chronology screened from 1901 through 1906 before the holder

Record story

Albert A. Michelson, an American physicist, holds the record as the first Jewish person to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics. The award was presented in Stockholm, Sweden, on 1907-12-10. Official sources from NobelPrize.org confirm Michelson as the sole 1907 laureate in the Physics category, an honour bestowed for his 'optical precision instruments and spectroscopic and metrological investigations'.

This 'first' achievement was established by a chronological review of all Nobel laureates in Physics from the award's inception in 1901 through 1906. No earlier recipient was found who met the standard for Jewish eligibility. Independent sources, such as the Center for Jewish History, also begin their chronology of Jewish Nobel laureates in Physics with Michelson's 1907 prize. His eligibility is supported by biographical information confirming that both of his parents were born to Jewish parents.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
9 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

NobelPrize.org confirms Albert A. Michelson as the sole 1907 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics, awarded for optical precision instruments and spectroscopic and metrological investigations.

Superiority evidence

The Nobel Physics chronology for 1901-1906 was screened before Michelson. The Center for Jewish History Jewish Nobel Physics chronology begins with Michelson in 1907, and no earlier eligible Jewish Physics laureate was found.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Jewish Nobel Laureates - Physics — Center for Jewish History
  • Albert A. Michelson, 1852-1931 - Biographical Memoir — National Academy of Sciences

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Albert A. Michelson - Facts — Nobel Prize Outreach / NobelPrize.org

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • All Nobel Prizes in Physics - 1901-1909 chronology — Nobel Prize Outreach / NobelPrize.org

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

Related records

Paul Ehrlich working in his laboratory, circa 1913
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Awards · Nobel PrizeFirst

First Jewish Person to Win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Record holder

Paul Ehrlich

Record value

10 December 1908

Paul Ehrlich became the "First Jewish person to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine" on 10 December 1908. The German physician and scientist received the award in Stockholm, Sweden, jointly with Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov. According to the official citation from NobelPrize.org, the prize was awarded “in recognition of their work on immunity.”

Country represented
Germany
Achievement location
Stockholm, Sweden
Achievement date
10 December 1908
View full record
Portrait of Nobel Prize-winning economist Claudia Goldin
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Awards · Nobel Memorial PrizeFirst

First Jewish Woman to Win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

Record holder

Claudia Goldin

Record value

10 December 2023

Claudia Goldin became the "First Jewish woman to receive the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences" upon her receipt of the award in Stockholm, Sweden, on 10 December 2023. As the sole recipient of the 2023 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, Goldin was recognised for having advanced the understanding of women’s labour-market outcomes. Her archival research reconstructed more than two centuries of women’s participation and earnings, showing how structural change, social expectations, and parenthood shaped the gender gap.

Country represented
United States
Achievement location
Stockholm, Sweden
Achievement date
10 December 2023
View full record