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Biography
AbstractImportant DatesOccupationPlacesSubjectsRelationships
PeopleInstitutionsResources
Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorPublished as SubjectLeo Szilard
Dates
February 11, 1898 – May 30, 1964
Authorized Form of Name
Szilard, Leo
Biography
Abstract
Leo Szilard was Professor of Biophysics at University of Chicago (1946-1964). Other institutional affiliations include Columbia University and the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory. As a physicist, he contributed to the fields of thermodynamics, biophysics, nuclear physics and the development of atomic energy. Szilard with Fermi, Zinn and Anderson proved the possibility of a nuclear chain reaction. He is most known for his role in the initiation of the Manhattan Project for developing an atomic bomb during World War II.
Important Dates
February 11, 1898Birth, Budapest (Hungary).
1916 – 1917Studied Engineering, Budapest Technical University, Budapest (Hungary).
1917 – 1918Soldier, Austro-Hungarian Army.
1919 – 1920Studied Theoretical Physics, Technical Institute of Berlin, Berlin (Germany).
1922Obtained PhD in Physics, University of Berlin, Berlin (Germany).
1925 – 1933Assistant to Max von Laue (1925-1928) and Privatdozent (1928-1933), University of Berlin, Berlin (Germany).
1934 – 1935Researcher, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London.
1935 – 1938Research Fellow, Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford University.
1939 – 1942Unofficial Researcher (1939-1942) and Researcher, Division of War Research (1942), Columbia University.
1942 – 1946Researcher, Manhattan Project, Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory.
1946 – 1964Professor of Biophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago (Ill.).
1961Member, National Academy of Sciences.
1962 – 1964Co-Chair, Board of Directors, Council for a Livable World.
1964Research Fellow, Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
May 30, 1964Death, La Jolla (San Diego, Calif.).
Occupation
Nuclear physicist.
Places
Birth
Undergraduate Education
Graduate Education
Employment
Death
Subjects
Relationships
People
Family
Szilard, Gertrud
Wife.
Advisors & Collaborators
Farkas, L. (Ladislaus), 1904-1948
Research Assistant to Leo at University of Berlin.
PhD advisor at University of Berlin (Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin), "Über die thermodynamischen Schwankungserscheinungen."
Colleagues
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Allison, Samuel King, 1900-1965
Both employed at University of Chicago and the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago; Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project; and Columbia University.
Both employed at Columbia University.
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Compton, Arthur Holly, 1892-1962
Worked together at the National Academy of Sciences Committee to Evaluate Use of Atomic Energy in War.
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Daniels, Farrington, 1889-1972
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at Columbia University.
Both employed at University of Chicago and at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Dunning, John R. (John Ray), 1907-1975
Both employed at Columbia University.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Falicov, L. M. (Leopoldo Maximo), 1933-1995
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at Columbia University and the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Foote, Frank G. (Frank Gale), 1906-
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago and the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Friedman, Jerome I. (Jerome Isaac), 1930-
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project and University of Chicago.
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at Columbia University.
Lamb, Willis E. (Willis Eugene), 1913-2008
Both employed at Columbia University.
Manley, John Henry, 1907-
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Marshall, John, 1917-1997
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Monk, George Spencer, 1884
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Pekeris, C. L. (Chaim Leib), 1908-1993
Both employed at Columbia University.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Primakoff, H. (Henry), 1914-1983
Both employed at Columbia University.
Rabi, I. I. (Isidor Isaac), 1898-1988
Both employed at Columbia University.
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Schrieffer, J. R. (John Robert), 1931-
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Seaborg, Glenn T. (Glenn Theodore), 1912-1999
Both employed at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Simpson, John A. (John Alexander), 1916-2000
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project, and University of Chicago.
Smyth, Henry De Wolf, 1898-1986
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Snell, Arthur H.
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at Columbia University.
Stearns, Joyce C.
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at University of Chicago and Columbia University.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Weinberg, Alvin Martin, 1915-2006
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Whitaker, Martin Dewey
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Wigner, Eugene Paul, 1902-1995
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Wilson, V. C.
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Both employed at University of Chicago.
Zinn, Walter H. (Walter Henry), 1906-2000
Both employed at Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, Manhattan Project.
Additional
Bainbridge, Kenneth T. (Kenneth Tompkins), 1904-1996
Feld, Bernard Taub, 1919-
Greenewalt, Crawford H., 1902-1993
Grosse, Aristid von, 1905-1985
Hill, R. D. (Robert Dickson), 1913-
Inglis, David Rittenhouse, 1905-1995
Kowarski, Lew
Kurti, Nicholas
Levinger, Joseph S., 1921-
London, Fritz, 1900-1954
MacDuffie, Marshall
Mark, H. F. (Herman Francis), 1895-1992
Maurer, Robert Joseph, 1913-
Morse, Philip M. (Philip McCord), 1903-1985
Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967
Polanyi, Michael, 1891-1976
Rabinowitch, Eugene, 1901-1973
Strauss, Lewis L.
Suess, Hans Eduard, 1909-
Tamm, I. E. (Igor' Evgen'evich), 1895-1971
Urey, Harold Clayton, 1893-1981
Waly, Adnan
Weisskopf, Victor Frederick, 1908-2002
Weizsacker, Carl Friedrich, Freiherr von, 1912-2007
Wiesner, Jerome B. (Jerome Bert), 1915-1994
Institutions
Major Positions
Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Heer
Soldier.
Columbia University. Department of Physics
Unofficial Researcher and Researcher in Division of War Research.
Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin
Obtained PhD in Physics (1922). Assistant to Max von Laue; Privatdozent in Physics.
Manhattan Project (U.S.)
Researcher, Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory.
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Research Fellow.
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital (London, England)
Researcher.
United States. Office of Scientific Research and Development. Metallurgical Laboratory
Researcher, Manhattan Project.
University of Chicago. Department of Physics
Professor of Biophysics.
Professional Activities & Affiliations
Budapesti Műszaki Egyetem
Studied engineering.
Clarendon Laboratory
Research Fellow.
Council for a Livable World
Co-Chair, Board of Directors.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Member.
Technische Universität Berlin
Studied Theoretical Physics.
Resources
Archival Resources
Author
Hans Eduard Suess papers, 1875-1989.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Inventor of the Atomic Bomb [sound recording], 1933.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
J. Craig Venter Institute history of molecular biology collection, 1909-2000.
Archives.
J. Craig Venter Institute
4120 Capricorn Lane, La Jolla, CA 92037
Leo Slizard and Aaron Novick research files, 1948-1969.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Leo Szilard letters to Gertrud Weiss, 1937-1959.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Leo Szilard papers, 1898-1998.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Mike Wallace papers, 1958-1962.
Archives and Records Management
Syracuse University
E. S. Bird Library, Syracuse, NY 13244-2010, USA
Television interview with Leo Szilard by Mike Wallace [sound recording] / 1961.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
William Lanouette collection on Leo Szilard, 1920-2006.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Subject
Atomic energy for military purposes, 1945 [typescript].
Manuscripts and Archives Department
Hagley Museum and Library
298 Buck Road East, Greenville, DE 19807, USA
Atoms for Peace Award records, 1944-1972.
Institute Archives and Special Collections
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Bernard Feld papers, 1943-1990.
Institute Archives and Special Collections
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Conversations with David Inglis, [videorecording] Feb.-May 1989.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Crawford Greenewalt Manhattan Project diary, 1942-1945.
Manuscripts and Archives Department
Hagley Museum and Library
298 Buck Road East, Greenville, DE 19807, USA
Enrico Fermi papers, 1918-1974.
The Joseph Regenstein Library. Department of Special Collections
University of Chicago
1100 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Eugene Rabinowitch papers, 1954-1964.
The Joseph Regenstein Library. Department of Special Collections
University of Chicago
1100 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Fritz London papers, 1926-1954.
Archives.
Duke University
341 Perkins Library, Duke University, Durham, NC 27706, USA
H. F. Mark autobiography, 1986.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Harold Clayton Urey papers, 1929-1981.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Helen S. Hawkins collection, 1974-1987.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
History of atomic energy collection, 1896-1991.
Libraries. Special Collections
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
I. I. Rabi papers, 1899-1989 (bulk 1945-1968).
Manuscript Division
Library of Congress
James Madison Memorial Building, First Street and Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540, USA
Igor E. Tamm papers, 1921-1971.
contact Tamm family
In private hands
Moscow
Jerome B. Wiesner papers, 1949-1983.
Institute Archives and Special Collections
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Joseph Edward Mayer papers, 1920-1983.
Mandeville Special Collections Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Kenneth Bainbridge correspondence with James Chadwick and Mark Oliphant, 1973-1974.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Lew Kowarski papers, 1907-1981 (bulk 1930-1981).
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Lewis L. Strauss papers, 1914-1974.
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library
West Branch, IA 52358, USA
Marshall MacDuffie research materials on Leo Szilard, 1941-1964.
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Columbia University
Butler Library, 6th Floor East, New York, NY 10027, USA
Michael Polanyi papers, 1900-1975.
The Joseph Regenstein Library. Department of Special Collections
University of Chicago
1100 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Oral history interview with Adnan Waly 1990 November 12.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Adnan Waly, 1994 February-March.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Aristid Victor Grosse, 1974 January 11 and April 5.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Carl Friedrich Weizsacker, 1986 January 28.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with David Lazarus, 1981 December 4.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Eugene Paul Wigner, 1966 November 30.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Gregory Breit, 1975 December 8.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Herbert Anderson, 1981 January 13 and 16.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with I. I. Rabi, 1963 December 8.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with J. Robert Oppenheimer, 1960 February.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Maurice Goldhaber, 1967 January 10.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Michael Polanyi, 1962 February 15.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Murray Gell-Mann, 1997 July 17 and 18.
Institute Archives
California Institute of Technology
1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Oral history interview with Nicholas Kurti, 1968 September 11 and 1972 November 22.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Philip Morrison, 1967 February 7.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Philip Morrison, 2002 December 19 and 20.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Richard Garwin, 2012 December 20.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert Dickson Hill, 2000 July 3.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert Joseph Maurer, 1981 March 10 and 15.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Victor Frederick Weisskopf, 1975 January 31.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Philip Morse papers, 1927-1980.
Institute Archives and Special Collections
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Physical Review records, 1940-1947.
Manuscript Division
Library of Congress
James Madison Memorial Building, First Street and Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540, USA
Progress: Autobiography of Joseph S. Levinger, 2010.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
The Many Worlds of Leo Szilard [sound recording], 2014 April 7.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Published Resources
Author
The voice of the dolphins, and other stories.
Subject
"Ever Ready to Go: The Multiple Exiles of Leo Szilard," Physics in Perspective 7 (2005): 204-252
"Fermi, Szilard and Trinity," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists October (1974): 40-47.
"Ideas by Szilard, Physics by Fermi," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 48 (1992): 16-23
"Leo Szilard, Scientist for All Seasons," Social Research 51 (1984): 675-690
"Leo Szilard: 1898-1964", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences
"Leo Szilard: Giving Peace a Chance in the Nuclear Age," Physics Today 40 (1987): 40-47
"The Einstein-Szilard Refrigerators," Scientific American 276 (1997): 9-13
"The Legacy of Fermi and Szilard," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists September (1974): 56-62.
Doomsday men : the real Dr. Strangelove and the dream of the superweapon / P.D. Smith.
Leo Szilard : science as a mode of being / David A. Grandy.
Leo Szilard Physics Today obituary.
The Martians of Science : five physicists who changed the twentieth century / István Hargittai.