Leo Szilard was a Hungarian-American physicist, inventor, and political thinker, best known for his pivotal role in the development of nuclear chain reactions and the Manhattan Project. A brilliant and outspoken scientist, Szilard conceived the idea of a nuclear chain reaction in 1933, shortly after fleeing Nazi Germany. In 1939, he co-authored the famous letter with Albert Einstein that warned President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the potential for Nazi Germany to build an atomic bomb, prompting the U.S. to launch atomic research efforts.
Szilard played a key part in early reactor design and was instrumental in persuading Enrico Fermi to work on the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1. Despite his contributions to nuclear weapons development, Szilard became a staunch advocate for arms control and ethical responsibility in science after witnessing the consequences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He later turned to biology and helped found the field of molecular biology through his work at the Salk Institute. Szilard was also known for his satirical writing and advocacy of international cooperation in science and politics.
