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Enrico Fermi
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Enrico Fermi

Italian-American physicist (1901–1954)

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Enrico Fermi was an Italian and naturalized-American physicist, renowned for being the creator of the world's first artificial nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and a member of the Manhattan Project. He won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his demonstrations of the existence of new radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation, and for his related discovery of nuclear reactions brought about by slow neutrons". He has been called the "architect of the nuclear age" and the "architect of the atomic bomb". He was one of very few physicists to excel in both theoretical and experimental physics. With his colleagues, Fermi filed several patents related to the use of nuclear power, all of which were taken over by the US government. He made significant contributions to the development of statistical mechanics, quantum theory, and nuclear and particle physics.

Quick facts

Born
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Place of birth
Rome wd
Died
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Place of death
Chicago wd
Citizenship
Kingdom of Italy, Italy wd
Occupation
physicist, theoretical physicist, nuclear physicist, university teacher, inventor wd
Education
University of Pisa, Scuola Normale Superiore. Classe di Scienze, Leiden University, University of Göttingen wd
Spouse
Laura Fermi wd

Awards wd

  • Nobel Prize in Physics (1938)
  • Max Planck Medal (1954)
  • Rumford Prize (1953)
  • Matteucci Medal (1926)
  • Franklin Medal (1947)
  • Hughes Medal (1942)
  • Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (1953)
  • National Inventors Hall of Fame (1976)
  • Silliman Memorial Lectures (1949)
  • Barnard Medal for Meritorious Service to Science (1950)
  • Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award (1952)
  • Fellow of the American Physical Society (1939)
  • Foreign Member of the Royal Society (1950)

Questions

When was Enrico Fermi born?
Enrico Fermi was born on 29 September 1901 in Rome.
Where did Enrico Fermi study?
Enrico Fermi was educated at University of Pisa, Scuola Normale Superiore. Classe di Scienze, Leiden University, University of Göttingen.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (English): Enrico Fermi · CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Wikidata item Q8753 · CC0 1.0
  3. Image: Enrico Fermi 1943-49.jpg by Department of Energy-Office of Public Affairs, restored by Yann (Public domain)

Last updated · facts checked 12 November 2026

Cite this page

"Enrico Fermi". DigiNepal. Last updated 12 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/enrico-fermi. Retrieved 12 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Enrico Fermi, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Enrico Fermi 1943-49.jpg — Department of Energy-Office of Public Affairs, restored by Yann, Public domain.

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