Biographical timeline of Austrian-Swedish physicist Lise Meitner, who led the team that discovered nuclear fission of uranium. Her life spanned from her birth in Vienna in 1878 to her death in Cambridge in 1968, with key contributions including the discovery of protactinium and the theoretical explanation of nuclear fission.
Lise Meitner is born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, as the third of eight children of Jewish parents Hedwig and Philipp Meitner. #science #physics #history
Meitner enrolls at the University of Vienna to study mathematics and physics, after preparing for the entrance exams with private tutoring. #science #physics
Meitner earns her doctorate in physics from the University of Vienna, with a dissertation on thermal conduction. She is one of the first women to earn a PhD there. #science #physics
Meitner moves to Berlin, initially attending lectures by Max Planck. She begins collaborating with Otto Hahn at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry. #science #history
Meitner and Hahn begin investigating beta-ray spectra, discovering new isotopes. This work establishes their collaboration. #science #physics
Meitner becomes an assistant to Hahn at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, despite initial resistance due to her gender. She works without pay for several years. #science #history
Meitner and Hahn discover the element protactinium (atomic number 91) while studying uranium decay. This is a major contribution to the periodic table. #science #chemistry
Meitner is given her own physics section at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, though she still faces discrimination. She continues research on radioactivity. #science #history
Meitner habilitates at the University of Berlin, becoming one of the first women to become a professor in Germany. She gives lectures on nuclear physics. #science #physics
Meitner is appointed as an extraordinary professor (associate professor) at the University of Berlin, a rare achievement for a woman in science at the time. #science #history
Meitner and Hahn begin experiments bombarding uranium with neutrons, following Enrico Fermi's work. This leads to the discovery of nuclear fission. #science #physics
Meitner, Hahn, and Fritz Strassmann systematically study neutron-induced reactions in uranium, trying to identify transuranium elements. #science #chemistry
After the Anschluss, Meitner, being Jewish, escapes Germany with help from Dutch physicists and moves to Sweden. She continues her research at Manne Siegbahn's institute in Stockholm. #history #science
Hahn and Strassmann chemically identify barium as a product of neutron bombardment of uranium, puzzling over the result. They inform Meitner in letters. #science #chemistry
Meitner and her nephew Otto Frisch provide the theoretical explanation of nuclear fission: the uranium nucleus splits into smaller nuclei, releasing energy. They coin the term 'fission'. #science #physics
Meitner and Frisch publish their explanation of fission in the journal Nature. This discovery opens the door for nuclear energy and weapons. #science #physics
Though Meitner's work was central, she was not included in the Nobel Prize awarded to Hahn in 1944. This is a notable oversight in Nobel history. #history #science
Meitner is invited to work on the Manhattan Project but refuses, saying 'I will have nothing to do with a bomb!' She remains in Sweden. #history #science
Meitner visits the United States to give lectures and receives some recognition, but she does not achieve the same fame as other Manhattan Project scientists. #science #history
Meitner retires from the Nobel Institute for Physics in Stockholm, though she continues to attend scientific conferences and advise younger scientists. #science #history
Meitner is awarded the Max Planck Medal for her contributions to theoretical physics, one of the highest honors in German physics. #science #physics
Meitner moves to Cambridge to be near her nephew Otto Frisch and other relatives. She continues her association with the Cavendish Laboratory. #history #science
Meitner receives the Otto Hahn Prize for Chemistry and Physics, but the prize is awarded to both her and Otto Hahn, though she had been excluded from the Nobel. #science #history
Meitner is awarded the Helmholtz Medal of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. #science #physics
Meitner receives the Austrian Science Prize for her lifetime achievements in nuclear physics. #science #history
Meitner is awarded the Enrico Fermi Award by the United States government for her contributions to nuclear science, shared with Hahn and Strassmann. #science #physics
Meitner publishes a collection of essays and reflections titled 'A Scientist Speaks', discussing her life and the ethics of science. #books #science
Meitner receives the Wilhelm Exner Medal in Austria for excellence in science. #science #history
Meitner is awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Vienna for her groundbreaking contributions to physics. #science #education
Lise Meitner dies in Cambridge at the age of 89. She is buried at the parish church of St. James in Bramley, Hampshire. #history #science
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) names element 109 meitnerium in her honor, recognizing her contributions to nuclear physics and the discovery of fission. #science #chemistry
After a naming controversy, IUPAC officially adopts the name meitnerium for element 109, solidifying her legacy in the periodic table. #science #chemistry
A crater on the Moon is named Meitner in her honor, reflecting her lasting impact on science. #science #astronomy )
The European Physical Society establishes the Lise Meitner Prize for outstanding research in nuclear physics. #science #physics
A Google Doodle commemorates Lise Meitner's 138th birthday, raising global awareness of her contributions. #science #history
A comprehensive biography detailing her life and scientific legacy is published by historian Ruth Lewin Sime. #books #science