Edwin Hall was an American physicist best known for his discovery of the Hall effect in 1879. This phenomenon occurs when a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the flow of electric current in a conductor, resulting in a voltage difference across the conductor. Hall's work laid the foundation for various applications in electronics and sensor technology. Born on November 7, 1855, in a small town in Massachusetts, Hall pursued his education at Harvard University, where he later became a professor. His contributions to physics extended beyond the Hall effect, influencing fields such as solid-state physics and electromagnetism. Hall passed away on November 20, 1938.