Niels Henrik David Bohr (1885-1962)
The Human Face of Science: Mini-Exhibits
More favorite photos, with quotes, of famous scientists.
"Every sentence I utter must be understood not as an affirmation but as a question." --Niels Bohr
Photo A1; portrait, ca. 1917.
CREDIT: AIP Emilio Segrè
Visual Archives,
W.F. Meggers Collection.
Bohr liked to think things through out loud, using some student or colleague as a sounding board. Once when Bohr had just arrived at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study following a week-long ocean voyage from Denmark, he suffered from having spent so many days alone with his thoughts.
When he entered the Institute he spotted two physicists, Abraham Pais and Wolfgang Pauli, in the hallway. Corralling them into an office and making them sit down, Bohr proceeded to spill out his thoughts on quantum theory for two hours before either one was able to interrupt.
Photo A2; young, standing in front of blackboard.
CREDIT: AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives
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