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Bohr's father, Christian Bohr, was a renown physiology professor at University of Copenhagen. His father was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize. Niels grew up well-rounded and had a zest for science growing up. -
Bohr begins to study under physicist Professor Christian Christiansen at the University of Copenhagen. He also studied the works of J.J. Thomson. Thomson discovered the existence of electrons which caused Bohr to dive deep into his works and write his Master's thesis on different physical properties of metals. -
Bohr wrote a thesis on the surface tension of water jets. He received a gold medal and was published in "Philosophical Transactions," a journal from Britain. -
Located in Manchester, Bohr began his studies and research on the structure of atoms. He combined bits and pieces of works from Max Planck and Ernest Rutherford along with his own theories. Bohr then published his works. Physicists gradually accepted Bohr's theory on the physical and chemical properties of elements. -
Since 1920 (until his death in 1962) he was the head of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at University of Copenhagen. Bohr was neither a subjectivist nor a positivist philosopher. In order to understand the principle of complementarity, Bohr example states, "The opposite of a true statement is a false statement, but the opposite of a profound truth is usually another profound truth." His principle of complementarity led to his work on "The Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics." -
Bohr's work on the structure of atoms and missing elements of the periodic table, earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in Physics. -
Bohr defended his theory on principle of complementarity at Solvay Conference. Bohr's theory was known as the Copenhagen Interpretation. The debates between Albert Einstein and Bohr were some of the most intense and deep exchanges of views on physics and its philosophy in the twentieth century. On one occasion, Bohr used Albert Einstein’s own general theory of relativity against him in the debates.
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During the Nazi occupation, Bohr assisted many scientists escaping Germany. He eventually escaped to England and then America. -
After Bohr fled Denmark, he began to work with multiple scientists in Los Alamos, NM on the Atomic Energy Project or the Manhattan Project. However, Bohr supported peaceful and honest usage of atomic energy between nations.
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Bohr continued to fight for the peaceful usage of nuclear energy between nations. Unfortunately, he predicted the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. He continued this fight all the way up until his death in 1962. -
Bohr was the first recipient of the Atoms for Peace Award. President Eisenhower presented the award at Massachusetts Institute of Technology or M.I.T. for his scientific contributions and also his work on the peaceful use of the atom. -
During his last years of life, Bohr developed an interest in Molecular Biology. An article on this topic was published after his death. He is considered the greatest physicists of the twentieth century.