How did Ernest Rutherford create the first artificial nuclear reaction?

In 1919, Ernest Rutherford achieved the first artificially induced nuclear reaction by bombarding nitrogen gas with alpha particles.12

While investigating the collision of alpha particles with various gases, Rutherford observed that when these particles crashed into nitrogen, they produced protons—the same nuclei observed when bombarding hydrogen. He identified that this process transformed the nitrogen nuclei into a rare oxygen isotope. This experiment demonstrated that he had successfully provoked a nuclear reaction in a stable element, marking a foundational moment in the field of nuclear physics.132