Yves Rocard

It’s the birthday of Yves Rocard, who was born in 1903 in Vannes, France. Rocard studied mathematics and physics at the École normale supérieure in Paris. After earning his PhD in 1928, he held various positions in academia and industry, becoming an expert in the detection and transmission of radio waves. After Germany’s invasion of France in 1940, Rocard remained in France and secretly gathered information for the British on Germany’s coastal radar installations. As the war ended, he followed troops into the French occupation zone on a mission to retrieve German science and scientists. His team appropriated two 7.5-meter Würzburg radar reflectors, which he used to establish the field of radio astronomy in France. In 1947 he was appointed France’s chief military scientist, replacing Frédéric Joliot-Curie. In that position, Rocard oversaw the development of France’s first nuclear weapons. In his retirement, his research interests shifted to UFOs, biomagnetism and dowsing. Rocard’s son Michel was Prime Minister of France from May 1988 until June 1991.

Date in History: 22 May 1903