The
Idea of the Chain Reaction
In 1933, Szilard fled to London
and read an article by Ernest Rutherford which said atomic energy could
not be used for practical purposes. Szilard did not believe this to be
correct and so he began experimenting. Beryllium and indium were
attempted for making the reaction, but they failed. He later
accepted an offer to research at Columbia University in Manhattan,
where he was soon joined by Enrico Fermi. Upon learning of nuclear
fission, they figured uranium may be able to support a chain reaction.
They were correct and they achieved neutron multiplication. Szilard is
reported to have described the event with, "We turned the switch, saw
the flashes, watched for ten minutes, then switched everything off and
went home. That night I knew the world was headed for sorrow."(1)
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Szilard
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Movies/Movie1.shtml