-
Period: to
Childhood
As a child, Meitner was especially interested in math and science. She began doing research at 8 years old and kept a math notebook under her pillow. Her education ended at 14 and she could not legally go to university, since she was a woman. Information from Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics by Ruth Lewin Sime -
Birth
Lise Meitner was born in Vienna to Hedwig and Philipp Meitner on 7 November, 1878. Her father was a lawyer and chess master. Her family was upper-middle-class and Jewish. Information from Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics by Ruth Lewin Sime -
Period: to
Higher Education
Once women were allowed into universities, Lise Meitner worked to be admitted. She went to the University of Vienna, then the Friedrich Wilhelm University, where she met Otto Hahn. Information from https://www.famousscientists.org/lise-meitner/ -
Period: to
Friedrich Wilhelm University
Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn did research at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Prussia. As a woman, Meitner was not allowed in the lab, and had to work in a basement without salary. Information from https://www.newscientist.com/people/lise-meitner/ -
Period: to
Kaiser Wilhelm Institute
Hahn and Meitner moved to the KWI in 1912, where they did lots of important research. Hahn was offered a job as a professor, while Meitner was an assistant without pay and eventually worked her way up to becoming head of physics.
Information from https://www.newscientist.com/people/lise-meitner/ -
Discovery of Protactinium
Meitner and Hahn isolated the most common isotope of protactinium and named the element and symbol. Information from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lise-Meitner -
Period: to
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany invaded Austria, where Meitner worked, in 1938. This quickly stopped her research. Information from https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/lise-meitner -
Escape to Sweden
Meitner was forced to flee to Sweden because of her Jewish descent. She continued collaborating abroad with Hahn during this time and worked in Sweden with her nephew, Otto Frisch. Information from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lise-Meitner -
Discovery of Nuclear Fission
While Meitner was in Sweden, she worked with Hahn and Frisch and they discovered nuclear fission. Hahn published this work without her name, but she later coined the term "nuclear fission" and explained it. Information from https://theconversation.com/lise-meitner-the-forgotten-woman-of-nuclear-physics-who-deserved-a-nobel-prize-106220 -
Period: to
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was the development of the first nuclear weapons. She was offered to join the project, but refused, saying, "I will have nothing to do with a bomb." Information from https://www.nps.gov/people/lise-meitner.htm -
Nobel Prize
Hahn alone won the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering nuclear fission. Meitner was nominated 48 times, but was never awarded the prize. Information from https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=6097 and https://physicsworld.com/a/overlooked-for-the-nobel-lise-meitner/ -
Death
Meitner died of a heart attack on October 27, 1968. Information from https://www.nps.gov/people/lise-meitner.htm