When was the structure of DNA discovered?

The discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 is one of the landmark achievements of modern science. Working at Cambridge, James Watson and Francis Crick proposed that DNA is shaped like a twisted ladder, or double helix, with two strands running in opposite directions linked by paired chemical bases. Their model relied heavily on X-ray diffraction images, especially the famous Photo 51 taken by Rosalind Franklin and her student, along with data from Maurice Wilkins. The structure immediately suggested how genetic information is stored and copied, since each strand can serve as a template for a new one. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins received the Nobel Prize in 1962; Franklin, whose work was vital, had died in 1958 and could not be honoured. The discovery launched the era of molecular biology and genetics.