Uncovering the Atom: Top 8 Fun and Fascinating Facts About Niels Bohr You Never Knew

1. Goalkeeper Bohr

Before he was bending atoms like Beckham, Niels Bohr was bending it like… well, Bohr: As a die-hard football fan, he also played as a goalkeeper alongside his brother for Copenhagen's Akademisk Boldklub. The celebrated physicist's affection for the beautiful game didn’t wane, remaining an amateur football enthusiast throughout his Nobel Prize-winning scientific endeavors - and sorry drama fans, his father's fainting upon that news is pure fabrication.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Manhattan Project Turned Peacemaker

Before he was "Bohr-ing" into nuclear disarmament and laying the groundwork for global peace, Niels was ironically part of the very project that created the ultimate party-pooper: Manhattan Project: This Danish physicist, who inspired the naming of element 107 (bohrium), worked on the development of the atomic bomb with other prominent scientists, including his mentor Max Planck; after witnessing the devastation in Japan, he pivoted towards advocating for nuclear disarmament and international scientific collaboration, eventually spawning the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1957.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know the brilliant mind behind quantum mechanics started with the tiniest of steps? Discover how Max Planck's groundbreaking 1900 hypothesis changed our understanding of the universe by introducing us to "bite-sized" energy chunks called quanta!

=> Fun Facts about Max-Planck

3. Bohr-Einstein Bromance

Who says physicists can't be BFFs? Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein, the original Sheldon and Leonard, spent a good chunk of their time getting their debate on: it turns out they were fierce opponents yet devoted friends throughout their lives, engaging in intellectual tussles known as the Bohr-Einstein debates. These sparring sessions were key in shaping modern physics, as they revolved around the philosophy of science, with a keen focus on Bohr's Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics that Einstein, at first, resisted but eventually embraced. Talk about a high point in physics-themed bromance!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Niels Bohr: Physics Spy

Who needs James Bond when you've got Niels Bohr, the Physics Spy? Armed with his trusty "aqua regia" and a penchant for outsmarting Nazis, this scientist knew how to save the day: During WWII, Bohr not only helped fellow scientists escape Germany, but also dissolved the Nobel Prize medals of Max Von Laue and James Franck in "aqua regia" to protect them from falling into Nazi hands, later recasting them with the original gold. Despite being hunted by both the Third Reich and the Allies, Bohr managed to escape Denmark, thwarting the Nazis' atomic bomb plans and continuing his brilliant scientific work until his death in 1962.
Source => warisboring.com

5. The Golden Escape

Talk about a golden escape: During WWII, Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist, literally dissolved two 23-karat Nobel Prize medals in aqua regia to hide them from the Nazis, only to have them recast and re-presented to the original recipients, James Franck and Max von Laue, in 1952.
Source => npr.org

6. Father-Son Nuclear Bonding

Talk about a family bomb-ding experience: Niels Bohr and his 21-year-old son Aage teamed up as scientist and assistant during World War II to crack the nuclear code and develop the initiator device for the first atomic bomb, ultimately leading to its successful use in the Trinity test and later at Nagasaki.
Source => discover.lanl.gov

7. Nobel-lympics Family Reunion

If the Bohr family threw a family reunion, it would be a Nobel-lympics: Niels Bohr's son, Aage, also won a Nobel Prize in Physics, while brother Harald scored a silver medal in the 1908 Olympics. Moreover, Ernest played field hockey in the 1948 Olympics, and the non-Olympian sons, Hans and Erik, went on to become a physician and a chemical engineer, respectively.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Hemoglobin's Dancefloor Discovery

Did you hear about Niels Bohr's "breathtaking" discovery? He left everyone gasping for air by uncovering how our blood's very own DJ, hemoglobin, spins and remixes the oxygen hit, adapting to the body's groove: Bohr's studies unraveled the intricate dance of hemoglobin, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, shedding light on the oxygen dissociation curve and ultimately paving the way for our understanding of how hemoglobin responsively jams to varying oxygen demands across bodily tissues. Cue the Bohr effect!
Source => ncbi.nlm.nih.gov