When and where was Enrico Fermi born?
Enrico Fermi was born in Rome on the 29th of September 1901. His early genius emerged at the Campo de Fiori market where he discovered a 900-page physics textbook written in Latin by a Jesuit professor.
Questions about Enrico Fermi
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What did Enrico Fermi do to win the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics?
Enrico Fermi won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery that slow neutrons are far more effective at inducing radioactivity than fast ones. He achieved this by placing paraffin wax near his neutron source to slow neutrons through collisions with hydrogen atoms, increasing radioactivity in silver by a factor of one hundred.
When did Enrico Fermi move to New York City and why?
Enrico Fermi and his family moved to New York City on the 2nd of January 1939 to seek permanent residency. This decision followed the enactment of racial laws by Mussolini in 1938 which threatened Fermi's Jewish wife, Laura Capon.
When did Enrico Fermi achieve the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction?
Enrico Fermi achieved the first human-created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction on the 2nd of December 1942. This historic event occurred when Chicago Pile-1 went critical under the stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago.
What experiment did Enrico Fermi perform at the Trinity test on the 16th of July 1945?
Enrico Fermi conducted a simple experiment at the Trinity test by dropping strips of paper into the blast wave to measure how far they were blown. He calculated the bomb yield as ten kilotons of TNT while the actual yield was about 18.6 kilotons.
When did Enrico Fermi die and what is his legacy regarding elements named after him?
Enrico Fermi died of inoperable stomach cancer on the 28th of November 1954. He remains one of only 16 scientists to have an element named after him, known as fermium.