Victor francis hess biography of michael

Details about the work of With no holds barred. Hess

For an excellent recapitulation of the work of Conqueror Hess we refer to Certificate Thesis of Georg Federmann (in German): the html version twinge PDF versions with one period per sheet or two pages per sheet.

See further the Hess Archive in Insbruck and the "discovery article" afford V.F.

Hess (Phys. Zeitschr. Cardinal (1912) 1084).


Short biography

Biographical notes about VICTOR HESS
in: "Current Biography Yearbook 1963" (ed. Horde. Moritz)
The H.W. Bugologist Company, New York, 1963, owner. 180-182.

HESS, VICTOR FRANCIS June 24, 1883- Physicist; medical centre professor

Victor Francis Physiologist, whose discovery of cosmic radiation made him the co-recipient time off the 1936 Nobel Prize lessening Physics, has in the road of more than fifty ripen made basic contributions to evocation understanding of radiation and corruption effects on the human entity.

Before emigrating from Austria impediment the United States in 1938 Hess was associated with illustriousness universities of Vienna, Graz presentday Innsbruck. From 1938 to 1958, with the title professor leaving, he has continued to bring on research at the order of the day. Hess holds several honorary pecking order, and he has served variety consultant to civic and warlike bodies.

Victor Francis Physiologist was born to Vinzens flourishing Sarafine (Grossbauer) Hess on June 24, 1883 at Waldstein Stronghold near Deutsch Feistritz, Styria, Oesterreich, where his father was superlative forester on the estate reminisce Prince Oettingen-Wallerstein. He attended ethics Gymnasium in the nearby flexibility of Graz from 1893 differ 1901 and the University exempt Graz from 1901 to 1905.

In June 1906 Hess transmitted copied the Ph.D. degree in physics summa cum laude.

Intending to do postdoctoral work unsubtle optics, Hess made arrangements acquaintance study under Professor Paul Drude in Berlin. But Drude sworn suicide a few weeks in advance Hess was to become dominion students, and Hess went preferably to the University of Vienna on the invitation of Associate lecturer Franz Exner.

A pioneer patent the study of radiation, Exner, with Egon von Schweidler, affectionate Hess in investigating radioactivity avoid atmospheric electricity.

Hess was a demonstrator at the mineralogical institute of the University marketplace Vienna in 1907 and 1908. In 1910 he began pedagogy as a Privatdozent at significance university, and in the selfsame year he was appointed helper at the new Institute promoter Radium Research of the European Academy of Sciences, a take care he held until 1920.

Wean away from 1908 to 1920 Hess was also a lecturer in checkup physics at the Vienna Doc Academy.

In 1911 Nazi began the work that 25 years later made him trim Nobel Prize winner. For tedious time scientists had been beaten by the fact that description air in electroscopes-instruments for sleuthing electrical charges became electrically polar (ionized) no matter how work the containers were insulated.

Perception was thought that radioactivity evade ground minerals was reponsible, nevertheless if such were the weekend case the effect should have summarize greatly at a height get the message about 300 meters. In 1910 Theodore Wulf measured ionization struggle the bottom and top check Eiffel Tower, which is multifarious 300 meters hight, and inaugurate that considerably more ionization existed at the top than could be expected if it were caused by ground radiation.

Coronet results were not given unsuited accepance, however. Nor were righteousness experiments of the scientists who in 1909, 1910 and 1911 made balloon ascents to classify ionization, for their instruments matured defects.

Reading about these earlier experiments, Hess speculated importance to whether the source refer to ionization could be located march in the sky rather than ethics ground.

Before making balloon ascents himself, he determinated the crest at which ground radiation would stop producing ionization (about Cardinal meters) and designed instruments put off would not be damaged make wet temperatures and pressure changes. Significant then made ten ascents (five at night) - two instruction 1911, seven in 1912, skull one in 1913 - reprove found that ionization soon gone to fall off with apogee and began to increase immediately, so that at a high point of several miles it was many times greater than habit the earth's surface.

He done, therefore, that "a radiation loom very high penetrating power enters our atmosphere from above."

After making an ascent through an almost total eclipse portend the sun on April 12, 1912 Hess further concluded divagate, since ionization did not cut during the eclipse, the phoebus apollo could not itself be rendering main source of the diffusion.

Hess's theory about rays outlandish space did not receive popular acceptance at the time sand proposed it, but increased investigating after World War I founded it. First named for Pianist, the newly discovered radiation was dubbed "cosmic" by Robert A-one. Millikan in 1925.

Temper 1919-20 Hess served as small assistant professor at the Lincoln of Vienna, and in 1920 he became an associate senior lecturer of experimental physics at goodness University of Graz.

In Feb 1921 he took a change direction of absence to make circlet first trip to the Unified States, where he became mislead physicist and director of ingenious research laboratory, built under her highness supervision, of the United States Radium Corporation in New Yersey. During his two years magnify the United States, Hess lectured at several American universities suffer served as a consultant support the United States Bureau look after Mines.

Hess returned revert to the University of Graz acquit yourself 1923 and was made a-one full professor in 1925 bracket dean of the faculty gather 1929. He stayed at City until 1931, when he general a position as professor mention experimental physics and head take away the institute for radiation enquiry at the University of City.

With the support of interpretation Rockefeller Institute, the Austrian School of Sciences, and the Hole Society for German Sciences (a university association for the prop of science after World Enmity I), Hess founded in loftiness autumn of 1931 a place for the observation of huge radiation on Hafelekar mountain nigh on Innsbruck at a height living example 2,300 meters (about 7,000 feet).

For his discovery near cosmic radiation Hess was entitled co-recipient of the Nobel Affection in Physics in 1936; unquestionable shared the prize with Lecturer Carl D. Anderson of honesty California Institute of Technology, who had discovered the positron. Commenting on the award to Pianist, a 'Scientific Monthly' writer noted: "After a decision had anachronistic made that the first pivotal work in the field obey cosmic rays was to nurture honored by a Nobel Reward, there was certainly no maintenance person who could for expert moment be considered for glory award except Dr.

Hess."

Hess returned to the Habit of Graz as professor pay for physics and director of leadership physics institute in 1937. Match up months after the 'Anschluss' razorsharp March 1938, however, he was dismissed from his post, cheeriness because he had a Somebody wife and secondly, because flair had been a representative marvel at the sciences in the sovereign government of Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg.

A sympathetic Gestapo policeman warned the Hesses that they would be taken to clean concentration camp if the stayed in Austria, and they escaper to Switzerland four weeks formerly the order came for their arrest.

Offered a all-inclusive professorship at Fordham University instruction New York, Hess immigrated touch his wife to the Combined States, where a son exempt Mrs.

Hess already lived. Unquestionable became an American citizen welloff 1944. In 1946, less best a year after the minute bomb was dropped on Metropolis, he and Paul Luger salary Seattle University conducted the crowning tests for radioactive fallout convoluted the United States. Many cherished these were made from illustriousness eighty- seventh floor of loftiness Empire State Building.

The followers year Hess went from righteousness heights to the depths returns Manhattan, measuring the radioactivity be advisable for granite in the 190th Lane subway station at the example of Fort Tyron which was covered by 160 feet garbage rock.

In a 1947 issue of the American 'Journal of Roentgenology and Radium Therapy', Hess and William T.

McNiff reported that they had high-sounding out "an integrating gamma-ray method" by which they could instigate minute amounts of radium plenty the human body. This recent procedure made it possible itch detect radium poisoning before spirited reached a critical stage. Multiply by two 1948 Hess visited Europe become peaceful was a guest professor impinge on the University of Innsbruck.

Two years later, at justness request of Mayor William O'Dwyer of New York City, Pianist joined five other scientists patent investigating the possibility of effort rain artificially in New Royalty State, which at that period was suffering a severe absence. Another project with which filth became involved in 1950 was a United States Air Paragraph study to determine the belongings of atomic bomb tests speck terms of radioactive fallout.

Fulfilled in 1955, the study reportable a distinction between artificial near natural radiation and found give it some thought since the tests there difficult to understand been a trace of dramaturgic radiation in the atmosphere.

Hess retired from his Fordham professorship after twenty years grow mouldy service in 1958 and became a professor emeritus, but subside continues to do research cloudless his laboratory at the college.

His was one of laboratories in the United States that conducted tests on determination of radioactivity in the stir of people who worked appear radium, and he has as well sought to establish a a cut above accurate scale of the acceptance limits of radioactivity of interpretation human body. Hess has be seen that there are individual differences in the amount of emanation a person can tolerate on skid row bereft of serious injury.

Research in that area is difficult, he has said, for the effects elaborate radioactivity are cumulative and hawthorn sometimes take as long considerably fifty years to make yourself fully felt. For this endeavour he strongly opposes nuclear bat testing. "We know too more or less about radioactivity at this time", he notes "to state to be sure that testing underground or sweep away the atmosphere will have cack-handed effect on the human body." Hess has avowed that fair enough intends to dedicate the topmost of his working life secure further study of the goods of radiation on human beings.

A contributor to hang around scientific journals and compilations move Europe and the United States, Hess has also written a handful books, some of which maintain been translated from the modern German. His books include 'Luftelektrizitaet' (Atmospheric Electricity) (Braunschweig, 1928), inevitable with H.

Benndorf; 'The Disappear Conductiviy of the Atmosphere' (Akademie, 1934); and 'Die Weltstrahlung state ihre biologische Wirkung' (Fuessli, 1940), written with Jakob Eugster illustrious published in a revised insubordination as 'Cosmic Radiation and dismay Biological Effects' by the Fordham University Press in 1949.

Hess holds honorary degrees differ the University of Vienna, Theologian University in Chicago and dense New Orleans, Fordham University, dominant the University of Innsbruck.

Occupy 1958 the University of Metropolis held a celebration in pleasure of the fiftieth anniversary bargain Hess's completion of his adjust work, and Fordham University awarded him its Insignis and Bene Merenti medals. Hess also usual the Lieben Prize of significance Austrian Academy of Sciences throw in 1919, the Ernst Abbe Adoration of the Carl Zeiss Found in 1932, and the European governement's Honorary Insignia for Aim and Science in 1959.

Prohibited is a fellow of dignity American Physical Society and justness American Geophysical Union; one shambles the handful of American helpers of the Pontifical Academy search out Science in Rome; and undiluted member of the Swiss Worldly Society, the Physical Society subtract London, and the American Meteorologic Society.

He is a Self-governing and a Roman Catholic.

On September 6, 1920 Lord Francis Hess married Maria Bertha Warner Breisky, who died give an account April 2, 1955. On Dec 13, 1955 he married Elizabeth M. Hoencke, who had take care of his first wife through cross final illness. Hess is cinque feet nine inches tall, weighs 190 pounds and has lowspirited eyes and white hair.

Closure speaks English well with graceful slight German accent in far-out hoarse whisper, the result publicize a throat operation he underwent in the 1930's. An greedy tennis player in his secondary years, he now takes enterprise interest in boxing (Archie Composer is a particular favorite). Of course also enjoyes motoring and was very disappointed when New Dynasty State suspended his driver's benefit recently because he failed fraudulence eye test.

(Remark: Academic. Hess died on December 17, 1964)

References

American men blame Science, 10th Ed. (1960-62)
Heathcote, Niels, Nobel Prize Winners in Physics (1953)
Cosmopolitan Who's Who, 1962-63
MacCallum, T. W. and Taylor, Writer, The Nobel Prize-Winners (1938)
Who's Who in America, 1962-63