Italian physicist Enrico Fermi built the prototype of a nuclear reactor and worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bomb. Enrico Fermi was born in Rome on 29th September, 1901.
Enrico Fermi has been called ‘the architect of the nuclear age’, and ‘the architect of the atomic bomb’. He was one of the very few physicists to excel both theoretically and experimentally.
In 1934, Fermi began his most important work with the atom, discovering that nuclear transformation could occur in nearly every element. One of the elements’ atoms he split was uranium. This work led to the discovery of slowing down neutrons, which led to nuclear fission, and the production of new elements beyond the traditional Periodic Table.
In 1938, Fermi was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work with artificial radioactivity produced by neutrons, and for nuclear reactions brought about by slow neutrons.
During the last years of his life Fermi occupied himself with the problem of the mysterious origin of cosmic rays. He died in Chicago on 28th November, 1954.
Picture credit: google