Re: [Phys-l] A-Bomb

[HUGH <hhaskell@mindspring.com>]

At 22:18  -0600 7/8/06, JMGreen wrote:

> Was there anyone of whom it could be said that s/he invented the A-Bomb?

I would think not. Szilard thought of a chain reaction in 1932 and patented it, but he assigned the patent to the British Admiralty who had no idea what to do with it. He later retracted the assignment, but I doubt he ever obtained any royalties.

Once Hahn and Meitner discovered fission, every grad student who read about it in the newspaper understood the possibilities, and there were so many people working on the details that I really doubt if anyone could claim to have "invented" the bomb. In fact, H. G. Wells wrote a book in 1914, called "World Set Free" in which he talked about "atomic bombs" and an atomic war which happened (in his novel) in the 1940s. His concept of an atomic bomb was very different from what resulted, but the idea of using nuclear energy for destructive purposes was hardly new when the bomb project was started. Szilard had read Wells' book and this was part of what triggered the idea of a chain reaction in him.

> Did anyone ever receive a patent for the invention?

> Did anyone ever get rich from the invention?

See above.

Hugh
-- 

Hugh Haskell
<mailto:haskell@ncssm.edu>
<mailto:hhaskell@mindspring.com>

(919) 467-7610

Never ask someone what computer they use. If they use a Mac, they will tell you. If not, why embarrass them?
			--Douglas Adams
******************************************************