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Americans in World War Ii
BIOGRAPHY READING
While at the University of Rome, Fermi
and his colleagues accidentally split the nuclei
of
a uranium atom. Initially, he did not believe
Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist, was the first
the atoms were splitting. He thought the reac
person to split the atom. His research introduced the
tion was due to the atom emitting a new ele
concept of atomic fission, which is splitting the
ment, and was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in
nucleus of an atom, causing a release of energy. This
physics for his discovery. Later, Fermi realized
concept led to the technology thatfacilitated the use
that the atoms had actually split and that the
of controlled nuclear reactions as a source of energy,
including the development of the atomic bomb.
reaction could be controlled.
Fermi’s work was instrumental in ushering in the
When Italy’s premier, Benito Mussolini,
atomic age.
started to pass anti-Semitic legislation in Italy,
Fermi feared his Jewish wife would not be safe
there. After securing a position at Columbia
nrico Fermi was born in 1901 in Rome,
University, Fermi and his wife fled to New
Italy. An extremely gifted child, Fermi
York City from the Nobel awards ceremony in
turned to physics at the age of 14 for consola
Stockholm, Sweden.
tion upon the death of his older brother. He
In New York City, Fermi and researcher
found two antique physics texts in a bookstore,
Leo Szilard developed the ideas for a nuclear
purchased them, and read through them, stop
reactor. After transferring to the University of
ping occasionally to correct their mathematics.
Chicago in 1942, Fermi developed the technol
Only after working his way through the texts
ogy that allowed the first self-sustaining atomic
did he pause to notice that they were written in
chain reaction, which resulted in the controlled
Latin, not Italian. Fermi continued to study
release of nuclear energy. During this time,
physics with the help of a family friend, an
Fermi joined the Manhattan Project, which
engineer. In high school, he wrote an essay on
was the American-led research project to build
physics as part of the admission requirements
the first atomic bomb. Fermi attended the det
for the University of Pisa. Judges found Fermi’s
onation of the first atomic bomb near Los
essay to be of the quality of a doctoral disserta
Alamos, New Mexico, in 1945. He tested the
tion—a work usually completed after four
power of the blast with a simple experiment,
years of college and several years of graduate
dropping slips of paper in the air before and
school.
after the detonation to compare their move
Fermi made original contributions to the
ments.
field of physics while he was still a college stu
Even though he had greatly contributed to
dent at the University of Pisa. He was so preco
the development of the atomic bomb, Fermi
cious that he often instructed his teachers.
was strongly opposed to the development of
Fermi graduated in 1922, and went on to
the more powerful hydrogen bomb. He called
become a lecturer at the University of Florence,
it a “weapon which in its practical effect is
where he developed a new statistical method to
almost one of genocide.” His description
explain the behavior of atomic particles. After
proved to be horribly accurate when the hydro
two years, he became a professor of theoretical
gen bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities
physics in Rome and began the studies that
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki toward the end of
would lead to his most important discovery.
World War II.
Eflhic0 7Frmi
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Literature, Primary Source, and Biography Readings
Chrthr77
1A1
Chapter 27, Biography Reading, Continued
After the war, Fermi continued to teach at
the University of Chicago, becoming the uni
versity’s Distinguished-Service Professor for
Nuclear Studies. At the University of Chicago’s
Metallurgical Laboratory, he studied mesons,
units that describe the force that holds the
nucleus of an atom together. He also partici
pated in the construction of a large particle
accelerator called the synchrocyclotron. For his
contributions to the field of physics, the 100th
element was named after Fermi, and an award
was established in his honor. Fermi died of
stomach cancer in 1954.
• UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU READ After you have finished reading
the
selection, answer
the following questions in the space provided.
1. What important scientific event took place while Enrico Fermi
was at the University
of Rome?
2. How did Fermi feel about the development of the hydrogen bomb?
What is your
reaction to how he felt?
3. How might history be different if Fermi had recognized that
he was splitting the
atom the first time he did it, while he was living in Fascist Italy?
4. If you were a scientist, and you made an important discovery
that had the potential
to be harmful, what would you do with the information?
ACTIVITY
Imagine that you are a newspaper reporter who, along with Fermi,
was present at the
detonation of the first atomic bomb. Write a news story in which
you interview
Fermi on his contributions and reactions to the event you have
both just witnessed.
162 Chapter 27
Literature, Primary Source, and Biography Readings