Lise Meitner: The Nuclear Fission Queen

Lise Meitner is one of the most underrated scientists in the world of nuclear physics, and it’s not just because she was a woman. This Austrian physicist was the queen of nuclear fission, and without her, we wouldn’t have the current understanding of atomic energy that we do today.

Lise was born in Vienna in 1878, and she quickly realized that she had a burning passion for physics that was hotter than a uranium reaction. However, at the time, women were not allowed to study at universities in Austria, so Lise moved to Berlin to continue her education. She worked alongside Max Planck (who was also quite the character himself), and the two became fast friends.

But it wasn’t until Lise started working with Otto Hahn that things really started to heat up. Together, they discovered the process of nuclear fission, a discovery that would change the world forever. Of course, as with most great accomplishments, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. When Lise and Otto submitted their findings to be published, the paper was rejected on account of its “theoretical physics” nature. (Seriously? Theoretical physics?)

But Lise wasn’t about to let a little thing like a rejection letter hold her back. She continued to work on nuclear fission and eventually fled to Sweden to escape persecution as a Jew during World War II. It was there that Lise’s nephew, Otto Frisch, coined the term “nuclear fission” to describe the splitting of an atom.

In 1944, Lise was awarded the prestigious Enrico Fermi Award for her contributions to nuclear physics. Unfortunately, at the time, she was unable to accept the award in person due to illness. But her legacy lives on, and her work has enabled us to generate electricity, power submarines, and even build nuclear bombs.

Lise Meitner may not have been as well-known as her male counterparts, but she was a force to be reckoned with in the world of physics. Her contributions to the field are immeasurable, and without her, the world would be a very different place.