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The Nuclear Option: Lise Meitner, Erwin Schrödinger, and the Science of Exile

JL;DR SUMMARY Lise Meitner, a pioneering physicist from a secular Jewish Viennese family, significantly contributed to the field of nuclear physics in early 20th century Europe. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

HolocaustNazi GermanyViennaExileJewish ScientistsNuclear PhysicsQuantum MechanicsLise MeitnerErwin SchrödingerOtto Hahn

Places mentioned

Berlin, Germany
"In the 1920s, the front rows of the University of Berlins physics colloquium were stacked with Nobel laureates, including Albert Einstein, Max Planck, and Gustav Hertz."
Vienna, Austria
"Meitner was born into a secular Jewish Viennese family."
Berlin, Germany
"On the morning of January 30, 1933, Meitner and Annemarie sat together in the Schrdingers apartment, listening to the radio as the Nazi storm gathered."
Sweden
"Meitner soon landed in a low-paid research position in Sweden."
Netherlands
"On July 13, 1938, she successfully reached the Netherlands, and only just in timea colleague had informed the authorities that she seemed ready to flee."
Dublin, Ireland
"As huge numbers of his colleagues joined the Allied war effort, Schrdinger took a position in Dublin, cloistering himself above the fray."
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Cairo Item ID 72016
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Retrieved 2026-01-06 05:31:14 UTC
Curated 2026-01-06 08:32:21 UTC