Eugene P. Wigner
National Medal of Science
Physical Sciences
For his many unique innovations in the physical, mathematical and engineering sciences ranging from quantum chemistry to nuclear theory and from reactor engineering to civil defense
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Birth
November 17, 1902Age Awarded
66Country of Birth
Austria-HungaryKey Contributions
Wigner's TheorumExplanation Of The Atomic Nucleus
Manhattan Project
Awarded by
Lyndon Baines JohnsonEducation
Budapest University of Technology and EconomicsTechnical University of Berlin
Accolades
Supported by NSFAreas of Impact
TransportationTheory & Foundations
Affiliations
Princeton UniversityOther Prizes
Nobel PrizeEnrico Fermi Award
In elementary school, Eugene P. Wigner was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a crippling infection that attacks the lungs. While confined to a sanatorium, the budding physicist found time to contemplate math problems before being released following a misdiagnosis. “I had to lie on a deck chair for days on end,” he said, “and I worked terribly hard on constructing a triangle if the three altitudes are given.” This moment of self-discovery would help define his career.
In 1933, Wigner discovered that the force binding the nuclei of atoms is very weak when the distance between them is great, but strong when they are close together. Three decades later, this discovery would contribute to a Nobel Prize win. “In science,” Wigner said, “it is not the speed that is the most important. It is the dedication, the commitment, the interest and the will to know something and to understand it – these are the things that come first.”