Richard Feynman Nobel Prize Physics

What kind of man was this? He played bongo drums gleefully. He opened locked files and a safe with nuclear secrets at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for fun. He enjoyed  clubbing with friends. He drew, painted, wrote books. And he shared the 1965 Nobel Prize for Physics by opening the field of quantum electrodynamics. This theory describes how light and matter interact. His work has stood the test of time – every experimental result has lined up as predicted. He wasn’t just a theoretical physicist – he solved the mystery of the Challenger Space Shuttle Crash.

He was a master teacher of physics and delighted in making the incomprehensible clear. Stories abound of students listening to bewildering lectures from other professors, then finding Feynman’s printed lectures and learning physics by reading and working the problems in his text. Other stories tell of his wit and accessibility to students. He wasn’t just a nice guy but an amazing physicist.  He was one of the scientists hired to work on the  development of the first U.S. nuclear weapon. His intellect enabled him to grasp the wonders of physics and translate them to ordinary people. This earned him other accolades as well:  he was honored in 1972 with the Oersted medal,  pictured on a 37¢ US postage stamp in 2005, and his bongo music is available online. He was a husband, father, scientist, teacher, and one of the greatest physicists of the 20th Century.

For more information: Nobel Prize Challenger Manhattan Project1

Bongo music Oersted Medal 1972 Postage Stamp Manhattan Project2