About
Leó Szilárd, born in Budapest in 1898, was a major physicist and inventor of the 20th century. After a doctorate in Berlin, he fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and conceived the idea of the nuclear chain reaction. He played a key role in the Manhattan Project but opposed the use of the bomb. After the war, he turned to molecular biology and helped found EMBO. He is also known for visionary ideas, such as the hotline between the US and the USSR.
* 1898-02-11 — † 1964-05-28
Major works
- The Voice of the Dolphins (1961)short story collection
Key milestones
- 1933Conceives the idea of the nuclear chain reaction in London.
- 1939Drafts the Einstein-Szilárd letter to President Roosevelt.
- 1942With Enrico Fermi, achieves the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
Themes
Nuclear chain reactionScientific responsibilityMolecular biologyArms controlInnovation and invention
Sources: britannica.com · home.nps.gov · osti.gov