Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr was one of the foremost scientists of modern physics, best known for his substantial contributions to Quantum Theory and his Nobel Prize-winning research on the structure of atoms. He called for responsible and peaceful applications of atomic energy across the world.
Early Life: Niels Bohr was born on October 7, 1885 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The young Bohr eventually attended Copenhagen University, where he received his master's and doctorate in physics by 1911. During the fall of the same year, Bohr travelled to Cambridge, England, where he was able to follow the Cavendish Laboratory work of scientist J.J. Thomson.
Institute of Theoretical Physics: Bohr’s own research led him to theorise in a series of articles that atoms give off electromagnetic radiation as a result of electrons jumping to different orbit levels. Bohr settled again at Copenhagen University in 1916 with a professorship position. Then, in 1920, he founded the university’s Institute of Theoretical Physics.
Wins Nobel Prize: Bohr received the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on atomic structures, and he continued to come up with revolutionary theories. Bohr came to apply this idea philosophically as well, with the belief that evolving concepts of physics deeply affected human perspectives.
Fleeing Europe: With Adolf Hitler's rise in power, Bohr was able to offer German Jewish physicists refuge at his institute in Copenhagen. Once Denmark became occupied by Nazi forces, the Bohr family escaped to Sweden, with Bohr and his son Aage eventually making their way to the United States.
Manhattan Project: Bohr then worked with the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where the first atomic bomb was being created. He called for future international arms control and active communication about the weapon between nations—an idea met with resistance by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Atoms for Peace: After the end of the war, Bohr returned to Europe and continued to call for peaceful applications of atomic energy. He helped to establish CERN, a Europe-based particle physics research facility. In 1957, Bohr received the Atoms for Peace Award.
A prolific writer: Bohr was a prolific writer with more than 100 publications to his name. After having a stroke, he died on November 18, 1962 in Copenhagen. Bohr’s son Aage shared with two others the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on motion in atomic nuclei.
“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.”—Niels Bohr
