James Chadwick

British physicist

Born: October 20, 1891  ·  Died: July 24, 1974

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James Chadwick
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Overview

Written work

In 1941, he wrote the final draft of the MAUD Report, which inspired the U.S.

Legacy

government to begin serious atomic bomb research efforts.

Who was James Chadwick?

Sir James Chadwick (20 October 1891 – 24 July 1974) was a British experimental physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1935 for his discovery of the neutron. Chadwick graduated from the Victoria University of Manchester in 1911, where he studied under Ernest Rutherford (known as the "father of nuclear physics"). In 1941, he wrote the final draft of the MAUD Report, which inspired the U.S. government to begin serious atomic bomb research efforts. He was the head of the British team that worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. He was knighted in Britain in 1945 for his achievements in nuclear physics. At Manchester, he continued to study under Rutherford until he was awarded his MSc in 1913. The same year, Chadwick was awarded an 1851 Research Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.

James Chadwick
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Historical significance

He elected to study beta radiation under Hans Geiger in Berlin. Using Geiger's recently developed Geiger counter, Chadwick was able to demonstrate that beta radiation produced a continuous spectrum, and not discrete lines as had been thought.

Chadwick (left) with Major General Leslie R. Groves, Jr., the director of the Manhattan Project.
Chadwick (left) with Major General Leslie R. Groves, Jr., the director of the Manhattan Project.
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Wikipedia source
Cite this page
MLA

“James Chadwick.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/james-chadwick/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

APA

James Chadwick. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/james-chadwick/

Chicago

“James Chadwick.” thisDay. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/james-chadwick/.

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