So...we're planning another history of science Deep Dive in the near future, and there's an *extremely weird* side story about Robert Oppenheimer of Manhattan Project fame that I wanted to highlight.
It turns out that he was a bit of a creeper.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert…
It turns out that he was a bit of a creeper.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert…
Early on in Oppenheimer's career, he planned on doing a collaboration with Linus Pauling to figure out how chemical bonds worked.
However, he soon became smitten with Ava Pauling...who was Linus Pauling's wife.
However, he soon became smitten with Ava Pauling...who was Linus Pauling's wife.
Oppenheimer asked Ava Pauling on a-we'll just call it a 'love vacation' down in Mexico, and she politely declined.
However, when Linus Pauling found out about it...he wasn't happy. Their collaboration dissolved, and they weren't exactly close friends after that.
However, when Linus Pauling found out about it...he wasn't happy. Their collaboration dissolved, and they weren't exactly close friends after that.
Now, of course, we were still able to figure out the nature of the chemical bond. The Pauling/Oppenheimer collaboration-while it would have been cool-wasn't essential to figuring this out.
No single collaboration or researcher is essential to scientific advancement.
No single collaboration or researcher is essential to scientific advancement.
