Niels Bohr | Origin of Street Names

Niels Henrik David Bohr (1885 - 1962) was a Danish physicist and Nobel laureate, often referred to as the "father" of modern atomic physics and one of the most significant research minds in the history of this field.

He was born in Copenhagen into a prosperous family of prominent intellectuals, which greatly influenced his life's path.

Despite initially showing more interest in the natural sciences during his education, Niels Bohr, like his brother, was a passionate football enthusiast in his youth. While his brother Harald pursued a career as a mathematics professor and became a professional footballer and Danish national team player, Niels Bohr, after a few seasons playing for Akademisk Boldklub (now popularly known as AB), ultimately devoted himself to the development of his scientific career.

His remarkable career was already foreshadowed at the University of Copenhagen, where the young Bohr showed a keen interest in physics from the very beginning, effortlessly understanding the laws of nature and successfully conducting all assigned experiments.

Having mastered exact physics, Niels Bohr increasingly turned his attention to and contemplated questions that were, at that time, unfathomable theories for many. One such question was the structure of atoms, specifically quantum physics.

After completing his undergraduate studies, he pursued a master's degree and then a Ph.D. in physics at his home university. The launching pad for the young scientist was a scholarship from the Carlsberg Foundation, which enabled him to continue his studies at the prestigious University of Cambridge, where English physicists were already working extensively on theories of atomic structure (electrons, protons, and neutrons), which deeply intrigued Bohr.

Realizing that the known principles of physics at that time couldn't explain the structure of atoms, Bohr sparked a revolution in the world of physical science. The so-called "Bohr model of the atom" (although nowadays fully applicable only to the example of the hydrogen atom) represented a breakthrough in the previous understanding of this problem.

With his "atomic theory," Niels Bohr managed to explain the entire periodic table of elements, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics, which he was awarded in 1922. On that occasion, he also announced the discovery of a new chemical element, naming it Hafnium after the Latin name for his hometown, Copenhagen (Hafnia).

Throughout his career, Niels Bohr also addressed issues of quantum mechanics and nuclear physics. Interestingly, he often engaged in heated debates on these topics with one of the greatest physicists of all time, Albert Einstein.

After World War II, Niels Bohr spent time in the United States, participating in the famous "Manhattan Project," whose goal and outcome were the development of the first atomic bomb in the world. Although this event could be seen as the pinnacle of applied physics and a remarkable achievement, Niels Bohr was aware of its destructive potential and always advocated for limited production of nuclear weapons and their prohibition.

Due to his exceptional scientific contributions on a global level, Niels Bohr received the highest honors from his country and held leading positions in almost all relevant international associations. He was one of the founders of the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva (CERN) and one of the most renowned figures in Danish history.

In honor of the great scientist, a street in Belgrade today symbolically bears the name of Niels Bohr.