Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner was an Austrian-Swedish physicist. She was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1878. She helped discover nuclear fission, the splitting of atoms. She was one of the most important scientists of the 1900s.

Early Life

Meitner grew up in Vienna in a large family. Girls were not allowed to go to university at first, but laws changed. She became one of the first women to earn a physics degree in Austria. She moved to Berlin to work with chemist Otto Hahn.

Big Discoveries

Meitner and Hahn worked together for 30 years. In 1938, she had to flee Germany because she was Jewish. From Sweden, she figured out that atoms could split apart and release huge amounts of energy. Hahn won the Nobel Prize for this discovery, but Meitner was left out.

Fun Facts

• Element 109 is named meitnerium in her honor.
• Einstein called her the German Marie Curie.
• She was nominated for the Nobel Prize 48 times but never won.

Did You Know?

Meitner refused to work on the atomic bomb even though she understood nuclear fission. She believed science should be used to help people, not to make weapons.