Edward Teller and the Other Martians of Science

An extraordinary group of scientists in the last century included the aerodynamicist Theodore von Kármán, the physicists Leo Szilard, Eugene P. Wigner, and Edward Teller, and the mathematician John von Neumann.  These Jewish-Hungarians first left Hungary for Germany, then were forced out of Europe, and in the United States they became instrumental in the defense of the Free World during World War II and the Cold War.  The lessons of their lives and oeuvres will be discussed with emphasis on the most controversial person, Edward Teller, known also as “the father of the hydrogen bomb.” 

Istvan Hargittai’s books, Judging Edward Teller and Martians of Science, will be available for review and purchase after the lecture. 

Anyone outside NIST wishing to attend must be sponsored by a NIST employee and receive a visitor badge.

For more information, contact Kum Ham at 301-975-4203.

Colloquia are videotaped and available in the NIST Research Library.

Istvan Hargittai, Department of ChemistryBudapest, University of Technology & Economics