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Birthdate
Niels Bohr was born in Copenhagen, Denmark as the son of Christian Bohr, Professor of Physiology at Copenhagen University, and his wife Ellen, née Adler. (NobelPrize.org) -
Education
Enrolled in Gammelholm Grammar School -
Awarded Gold Medal
While still in school, he participated in a competition on coming up with a solution for a problem regarding surface tension. He carried out his work in his father's laboratory. Earning his the Gold medal prize for his work -
Continuing Education
He entered Copenhagen University and studied under the guidance of Professor C. Christiansen, a very renowned professor at the time and took his Master’s degree in Physics -
Doctorate Degree
Shortly after achieving his Master's, he then went on to earn his Doctorate in Physics under the same professor -
Niels gets married
Married to Margrethe Nørlund. They gave birth to six children, two of which didn't survive birth. Most of the surviving children grew up to lead promising careers as a Chemical Engineer, a Ph.D in Theoretical Physics (and actually taking over the Institute of Theoretical Physics, following in his fathers footsteps, and a lawyer. -
Picturing the Atomic structure
As his work became more and more theoretical, in Cambridge, Niels (on the back of Rutherford's discovery of the atomic nucleus) he succeeded in working out a picture description of the atomic structure as a whole, which, after some improvements, is still widely used today -
Career in Educating
Neils Bohr was appointed as a Professor in Theoretical Physics at Copenhagen University -
Given his own Institution
From 1920 until his death, Niels was the head for Cambridge's Institute for Theoretical Physics which was established specifically for him. -
The Nobel Prize
Thanks to his earlier work on the structure of atoms, Niels Bohr was awarded the Nobel Prize -
First of 3 Publications
His first book, "The Theory of Spectra and Atomic Constitution" was published -
Concept of Complementarity
While on a skiing trip in Norway Niels came up with the Concept of Complementarity. Which states that objects share complementary properties, not all can be observed or measured simultaneously -
Second book published
His second book, "Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature" was published. -
Dealing with World War II
Because of the Nazi occupation of Denmark, Niels fled to Sweden, ultimately spending the last 2 years of the war between England and America. This inspired him to begin advocating for the peaceful use of atomic physics and giving awareness to the political problems when employing atomic weapons. His views were expressed in his Open letter to the United Nations on June 9, 1950 -
Third book published
His third book, 'The Unity of Knowledge' was published -
Death
Niels passed away on 18 November, 1962 in Copenhagen, Denmark -
Unfinished Publication
His unfinished article “Licht und Leben-noch einmal”, regarding molecular biology was published after his death. The English translation is "Light and Life Revsisted"