2007-9-17

Bohr (1885-1962), the Danish physical scientist who was born in Copenhagen University, followed his professor father to attend the weekly family science saloon, and grew to have a reverse way against normal education. When he was 7 years old in his preliminary school, he dared to point out the mistakes of education materials and his teachers in public occasion. And after graduation from PhD courses, he went to UK for further learning. The first time when he went to his tutor, he even brought a critic paper against his tutor, and he tried to explain his paper to the tutor with influent English. The result was definite that he was turned a cold shoulder from that day on. However, he was lucky enough to make acquaintance with Rutherford in a dinner meeting, and followed the famous scientist to go to Manchester which lighted his life.

After employed by Copenhagen University when he was 27 years old, Bohr was awarded the tile of professor four years later, and became academician of Denmark Science Academy five years later, and won Nobel Prize in Physics 10 years later. During this period, he successfully turned his spirit of freedom, discussion, high intellection, happiness and adventure into the famous Copenhagen Spirit. In 1921, he declined the high-salary invitation from Rutherford to establish a modern physical research center in Manchester; instead he founded the theoretical physics research institute in Copenhagen University and led this world scientific center for over 40 years just because he once dreamed to help his own country to develop the research on physics. Surrounding Bohr, there were many young scholars with strong characteristics and talents such as sarcastic Pauli, joke-teller Landau, and Garmov who treated cartoon painting and goggerel writing as his primary job but physical research as secondary work. Most of them were awarded the Nobel Prize. The Copenhagen school formed in Demark soon became the Holy Land of quantum mechanics researchers and the physical circle all around world.

Bohr once said, 'I was and will never afraid of showing my stupidity in front of others.'The reputation Bohr enjoyed was once equal to Einstein. You don't need to inquiry his address when you visit or write to him. You just mail or go directly to Copenhagen and the mailman or driver will take you to his place. In 1922, he was invited to German to give a lecture, which was latterly developed into Bohr's Day. It was right on that day that the 20-year old college student Heisenberg strongly doubted the theory of Bohr. Bohr invited to have a long walk and discussion, finally he admitted that he made an omission and sincerely invited Heisenberg to Copenhagen. Heisenberg recalled the memory in late years and said, 'The real scientific life of mine started from the walk on that day.' But Bohr was proud that he brought back Heisenberg and Pauli on that Bohr's day. Without authority power, ranking seniority, bully, especially no restriction in thoughts, only freedom and truth in Copenhagen.

So this is Bohr, who interpreted the real scientific and academic research, and the Copenhagen established by him gradually became a typical university spirit.

It is worthy mention that Bohr once visited China in the summer of 1937 with his son. He visited Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Beijing, and inspired from China trip, he designed a center-located Taiji picture as the badge of his family.