Otto Hahn: Discovery of Fission

Otto Hahn was a German radiochemist born in Frankfurt am Main on March 8, 1879. In December 1938, alongside Fritz Strassmann and through ongoing correspondence with Lise Meitner, Hahn discovered nuclear fission by bombarding uranium with neutrons, proving that heavy atomic nuclei could split into lighter elements while releasing vast energy. This landmark achievement earned him the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. During World War II, Hahn continued his research in Germany under the Uranverein program, though he personally opposed the Nazi regime and its persecution of Jewish colleagues. After the war, he became a vocal opponent of nuclear weapons and led the reconstruction of German science.

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