The atom bomb was born here


The atom bomb was born here

Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard made a nuclear breakthrough here

Location: Southampton Row, London

Description: Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard made a nuclear breakthrough here. On the morning of 12th September 1933 Leo read a speech by Ernest Rutherford about splitting nucleii, and was deep in thought on the subject.

...anyone who looked for a source of power in the transformation of the atom was talking moonshine.

He was standing waiting for the lights to change to cross the road where Southampton Row becomes Russell Square. When the lights changed to green and Leo moved off the pavement Leo thought 'What would happen if neutrons were smashed into the nuclei of atoms in a way that released two neutrons from the second atom?'.

Bang, the atom bomb was born.

Themes: ScienceScience Theme  DisasterDisaster Theme  MilitaryMilitary Theme
The atom bomb was born here

Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard made a nuclear breakthrough here

Ranking This Month: 1162/3052

Pages Hit This Month: 16


Credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Szilard

Your Comments:

Name:
Email:
Your email will ONLY be used once, to confirm the publication of your comments. We value your contribution and privacy.

Anti-spam Security: Please enter this code:


Other places nearby:


Faraday's Apprenticeship», 1.3km

The Royal Society», 0.7km

Advancing Geography», 2.5km

Edmund Halley's Tomb», 6.6km

Charles Darwin lived here», 0.3km

Gwynne-Vaughan lived here», 0.3km

Sir Isaac Newton lived here», 0.8km

Egyptologist Flinders Petrie», 3.4km

The Royal Observatory», 6.0km

Phosphorous Pioneer», 0.7km

Location Pinpointed:


Open Street Maps», Google Maps»