Arthur Holly Compton (1892-1962) was an American physicist known for discovering the Compton effect, which demonstrated that electromagnetic radiation behaves both as particles and waves. He attended the College of Wooster, Princeton University, and the University of Chicago. In 1927, Compton received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the Compton effect, which he explained by proposing that electromagnetic radiation consists of particles called photons. His discovery contributed greatly to the development of quantum mechanics.