Louis Slotin, Canadian physicist and chemist (b. 1910)
Louis Alexander Slotin (1 December 1910 – 30 May 1946) was a Canadian physicist and chemist who took part in the Manhattan Project. He was born and raised in the North End of Winnipeg, Manitoba. After earning both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Manitoba, Slotin attended King's College London, where he obtained his doctorate in physical chemistry in 1936. Afterwards, he joined the University of Chicago as a research associate to help design a cyclotron. In 1942, he was invited to participate in the Manhattan Project.
As part of the Manhattan Project, Slotin performed experiments with uranium and plutonium cores to determine their critical mass values. After World War II, Slotin continued his research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. On 21 May 1946, Slotin accidentally began a fission reaction, which released a burst of hard radiation. Slotin was rushed to the hospital, and died nine days later on 30 May, the victim of the second criticality accident in history, following the death of Harry Daghlian, who had been exposed to radiation by the same "demon core" that killed Slotin.
Slotin was hailed as a hero by the United States government for reacting quickly enough to prevent the deaths of his colleagues. Some physicists argue that this was a preventable accident. The accident and its aftermath have been dramatized in several fictional and non-fiction accounts.
1946May, 30
Louis Slotin
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Events on 1946
- 11Mar
Auschwitz concentration camp
Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, is captured by British troops. - 2Sep
Jawaharlal Nehru
The Interim Government of India is formed, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru as Vice President with the powers of a Prime Minister. - 8Sep
Bulgaria
A 95.6% vote in favor of abolishing the monarchy in Bulgaria. - 23Oct
Flushing, Queens
The United Nations General Assembly convenes for the first time, at an auditorium in Flushing, Queens, New York City. - 19Nov
Iceland
Afghanistan, Iceland and Sweden join the United Nations.