Philip Abelson

It’s the birthday of Philip Abelson, who was born in 1913 in Tacoma, Washington. Abelson earned a PhD in nuclear physics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a member of the team that created and discovered neptunium in 1940. After working on the Manhattan Project during World War II, Abelson helped to develop the concept of nuclear-powered submarines. From 1953 until 1971 he directed the Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Geophysical Laboratory. From 1964 until 1984 he was the editor-in-chief of Science magazine. In an editorial for the magazine, he wrote: “Part of the strength of science is that it has tended to attract individuals who love knowledge and the creation of it. Just as important to the integrity of science have been the unwritten rules of the game. These provide recognition and approbation for work which is imaginative and accurate, and apathy or criticism for the trivial or inaccurate. Thus, it is the communication process which is at the core of the vitality and integrity of science.”

Date in History: 27 April 1913