4 Facts about John Bardeen, the 1st Man to Win Nobel Prize in Physics Twice, He is One of the 'Fantastic Four'

At 120 years old, the Nobel Prize has been awarded 597 times to 950 people and organisations.

Interestingly, only four persons have received the renowned prize twice in their lifetime and John Bardeen is one of the 'fantastic four.'

Briefly News highlights 4 interesting facts about John Bardeen, the first man who was given the Nobel Prize in physics on two occasions.

1. His early life

John Bardeen who was born in May 23, 1908 finished secondary school at the young age of 15 and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, US where he bagged a bachelor's degree in electrical science in the year 1928.

Wikipedia reports that his father, Charles Bardeen, was the first dean University of Wisconsin Medical School.

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The Wisconsin-born genius got a PhD in physics from Princeton University, US.

2. Why he won a Nobel Prize in physics twice

John, one of the only four persons to get the renowned prize, was awarded the Nobel Prize first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the invention of the transistor.

His second Nobel Prize came in 1972 with Leon N Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer for their BCS theory.

3. He served in World War II

The American engineer and physicist served in World War II.

According to Wikipedia, he was the head of a group that focused on magnetic mines and torpedoes at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, US.

It was at the tail end of his service at World War II that his wife delivered a boy and girl.

4. He chose engineering for two reasons

The well-read academic who passed on at the age of 82 was said to have chosen the engineering field because he didn't want to be an academic like his father, Wikipedia posits.

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Another reason given for his choice of career was that John felt engineering had good job opportunities.

10 Africans who have won the Nobel Prize

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported about 10 Africans that have won the Nobel Prize.

South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela was jointly awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize for Peace for his work in ending the country's apartheid system.

Mandela, who served as president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, shared the prize with Frederik Willem de Klerk, South Africa’s last white president whose negotiations with Mandela in the early 1990s helped end apartheid.

Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, and died on December 5, 2013.

Source: Briefly News