The Philosopher
Leó Szilárd
The face
The background
- Nationality:
- Hungarian-American
- Branchs:
- Nuclear physics, Biology, Information theory
- Period:
- 20th century
The synopsis
Leo Szilard was a Hungarian-born American physicist, biologist, and inventor who made significant contributions to nuclear physics and biological sciences. Born Leó Spitz in Budapest, he conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933 and patented the concept in 1936. He played a crucial role in the Manhattan Project, writing the Einstein–Szilard letter that prompted President Roosevelt to initiate the project. Szilard was also present at the achievement of the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in 1942. Post-war, he turned his attention to biology, co-inventing the chemostat and discovering feedback inhibition. He was a vocal advocate for nuclear arms control and founded the Council for a Livable World. Szilard died in 1964, leaving a legacy as a visionary scientist and humanitarian.
The works
Patent application for the linear accelerator
Patent application for the cyclotron
Patent for the electron microscope
Patent for the Einstein refrigerator
Patent on the neutron-induced nuclear chain reaction
Szilard–Chalmers effect
Einstein–Szilard letter
Chemostat
Feedback inhibition
The Voice of the Dolphins
The quotes
We turned the switch, saw the flashes, watched for ten minutes, then switched everything off and went home. That night I knew the world was headed for sorrow.
If you want to succeed in the world, you don't have to be much cleverer than other people. You just have to be one day earlier.
Pronouncement of experts to the effect that something cannot be done has always irritated me.
Do your work for six years; but in the seventh, go into solitude or among strangers, so that the memory of your friends does not hinder you from being what you have become.
I'm all in favor of the democratic principle that one idiot is as good as one genius, but I draw the line when someone takes the next step and concludes that two idiots are better than one genius.
Don't lie if you don't have to.
A scientist's aim in a discussion with his colleagues is not to persuade, but to clarify.
If one knows only what one is told, one does not know enough to be able to arrive at a well-balanced decision.