Quote: “The term supernova was coined
in the 1930s by a memorably odd astrophysicist named Fritz Zwicky. Born in
Bulgaria and raised in Switzerland, Zwicky came to the California Institute of
Technology in the 1920s and there at once distinguished himself by his abrasive
personality and erratic talents. He didn’t seem to be outstandingly bright, and
many of his colleagues considered him little more than “an irritating buffoon.”
A fitness buff, he would often drop to the floor of the Caltech dining hall or
other public areas and do one-armed pushups to demonstrate his virility to
anyone who seemed inclined to doubt it. He was notoriously aggressive, his
manner eventually becoming so intimidating that his closest collaborator, a
gentle man named Walter Baade, refused to be left alone with him. Among other
things, Zwicky accused Baade, who was German, of being a Nazi, which he was
not. On at least one occasion Zwicky threatened to kill Baade, who worked up
the hill at the Mount Wilson Observatory, if he saw him on the Caltech campus”
Comment: I think
this is just a really cool back story about the guy. It’s really interesting
that he was both intelligent and physically fit. It’s also interesting to hear
that he got in fights with his co-workers.
Connection: With
the one armed pushups part it reminds me of an article we read in English about
how moving and being active helps increase brain activity.
Question: Would
Zwicky’s research on supernovas be different if he interacted with people
differently?
