James Franck

James Franck, born on August twenty-sixth, eighteen eighty-two, was a distinguished German-American atomic physicist and chemist. He completed his doctorate in nineteen oh six and habilitation in nineteen eleven at the Frederick William University in Berlin, where he became a professor extraordinarius and taught until nineteen eighteen. His academic journey was interrupted by World War I, during which he served in the German Army and was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class for his bravery after being seriously injured in a gas attack in nineteen seventeen.

After the war, Franck took on a pivotal role as the head of the physics division at the Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft for Physical Chemistry. In nineteen twenty, he became professor ordinarius of experimental physics and the Director of the Second Institute for Experimental Physics at the University of Göttingen. Collaborating with notable physicist Max Born, Franck conducted significant research in quantum physics, including the Franck–Hertz experiment, which provided crucial support for the Bohr model of the atom. He was also a strong advocate for women in physics, mentoring figures such as Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hilde Levi.

In the wake of the Nazi Party's rise to power in Germany in nineteen thirty-three, Franck resigned from his position at the University of Göttingen in protest against the unjust dismissal of his colleagues. He played a vital role in assisting Jewish scientists in finding opportunities abroad before leaving Germany in November of that year. After spending a year at the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark, he relocated to the United States, where he contributed to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and later the University of Chicago, developing an interest in photosynthesis.

During World War II, Franck was involved in the Manhattan Project, serving as the director of the chemistry division of the Metallurgical Laboratory. He also chaired the Committee on Political and Social Problems concerning the atomic bomb, which is renowned for producing the Franck Report. This document advocated against the use of atomic bombs on Japanese cities without prior warning, reflecting Franck's deep ethical considerations regarding the implications of nuclear warfare.