Otto Hahn, Discoverer of Nuclear Fission, Dies

With the death of Otto Hahn on 28 July the world has lost one of the most significant and successful scientists of our century. His most famous discovery, the fission of the uranium nucleus, has basically changed the political and economic world picture. Perhaps this discovery and its results have been more debated than any previous scientific step forward. There has hardly ever been a scientist who has been so generally respected and loved. It would be unjust, however, when considering Otto Hahn's scientific achievements, to think only of this one great discovery, made at the age of nearly 60, although it was the conclusion and crowning of his scientific career.