Leó Szilárd

Leó Szilárd (February 11, 1898 – May 30, 1964) was a Jewish Hungarian-American physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project. He was born in Budapest and died in La Jolla, California.

Related Topics:
February 11 - 1898 - May 30 - 1964 - Jew - Hungarian - American - Physicist - Manhattan Project - Budapest - La Jolla - California

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Szilard was probably the first scientist to seriously examine the science behind the creation of nuclear weapons, as he knew about the fictional "atomic bombs" described in H. G. Wells's science fiction novel The World Set Free. The basic idea of creating an explosive device by harnessing the release of energy from a nuclear chain reaction came to him in a flash of intuition in London on September 12, 1933. He reportedly developed the idea in response to Ernest Rutherford's dismissal of the possibility of obtaining energy from atoms as "moonshine".

Related Topics:
Nuclear weapon - H. G. Wells - Science fiction - The World Set Free - Idea - Explosive device - Nuclear chain reaction - London - September 12 - 1933 - Ernest Rutherford

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