Scientist. He was a physicist and chemist who took a critical part in the atomic bomb creating "Manhattan Project" during World War II. Born in Winnipeg, Canada, he was the oldest of three children of refugees from Russia. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1931 and his Master of Science Degree two years later, from the University of Manitoba. In 1936, he received a Doctorate of Physical Chemistry from King's College of London University. In 1937, he accepted a job as a Research Associate with the University of Chicago and is believed to have worked with Doctor Enrico Fermi on the first man-made nuclear reactor there. In 1942 he was hired for Project Manhattan, the American effort to construct an atomic bomb, and moved to the Los Alamos laboratory in New Mexico to work on the bomb physics. He received a massive dose of radiation poisoning while saving the lives of several co-workers during a criticality accident at Los Alamos on May 21, 1946, dying nine days later from the exposure to the radiation. His work in radiology has been recognized to have helped establish radiation therapy as part of the arsenal of modern medicine. Doctor Slotin's story is recounted in Dexter Masters' 1955 novel "The Accident," in a scene from the 1989 movie "Fat Man and Little Boy" (the movie incorrectly placed the accident in 1944, for dramatic effect in the film), and in a 1999 television documentary, "Tickling the Dragon's Tail." He was commemorated by the City of Winnipeg in 1993, when a park on Luxton Avenue in north Winnipeg was named after him.
Scientist. He was a physicist and chemist who took a critical part in the atomic bomb creating "Manhattan Project" during World War II. Born in Winnipeg, Canada, he was the oldest of three children of refugees from Russia. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1931 and his Master of Science Degree two years later, from the University of Manitoba. In 1936, he received a Doctorate of Physical Chemistry from King's College of London University. In 1937, he accepted a job as a Research Associate with the University of Chicago and is believed to have worked with Doctor Enrico Fermi on the first man-made nuclear reactor there. In 1942 he was hired for Project Manhattan, the American effort to construct an atomic bomb, and moved to the Los Alamos laboratory in New Mexico to work on the bomb physics. He received a massive dose of radiation poisoning while saving the lives of several co-workers during a criticality accident at Los Alamos on May 21, 1946, dying nine days later from the exposure to the radiation. His work in radiology has been recognized to have helped establish radiation therapy as part of the arsenal of modern medicine. Doctor Slotin's story is recounted in Dexter Masters' 1955 novel "The Accident," in a scene from the 1989 movie "Fat Man and Little Boy" (the movie incorrectly placed the accident in 1944, for dramatic effect in the film), and in a 1999 television documentary, "Tickling the Dragon's Tail." He was commemorated by the City of Winnipeg in 1993, when a park on Luxton Avenue in north Winnipeg was named after him.
Bio by: Ron Buchinski
Inscription
DR. LOUIS SLOTIN ENTERED ETERNAL REST
IYAR 29, 5706 - MAY 30, 1946
AGED 35 YEARS
"THOU, O LORD, ART A SHIELD ABOUT ME" PSALM 3.4.
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