How do we know about electrons if they are so small?

Electrons are particles carrying a negative electric charge. They are too small for the naked eye to see, So how do we even know that they exist? Johann Hittorf discovered a glow that came from his cathode (electrode that electric current flows out). Then a physicist named Eugen Goldstein named these glowing objects cathode rays. Years later J.J. Thomas developed an experiment to show that these cathode rays were reall actually particles, not waves. These scientists all had something in common, they wanted to know what thes luminating, particles or waves were and J. J. Thomas was one of the first to determine that these were in fact particles and negatively charged electric paricles at that hence the name electron. We know about these electrons even though they are 1/1836 the size of a proton and protons aren't even visible to the naked eye by experiments as J.J. Thomas was the first to determine what electrons were he obviously had a pretty good way of figuring this out. His device was called the Cathode Ray Tubes. Using this device Thomas not only discovered electrons but that they were also divisible even though all scientists had believed that they were indivisible.

Here is a picture of Thomas' Cathode Ray Tube.

Connor Smith