Joseph Rotblat

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Early Life

Joseph Rotblat was born on November 4, 1908 in Warsaw, Poland. He was born into a fairly wealthy Jewish family that made a living off of a horse-drawn carriage business. Rotblat had seven siblings, and had a comfortable childhood, spending holidays in the countryside. However, upon the onset of World War One his family began to struggle. His father resorted to selling distilling illicit vodka in their basement just to support the family. They quickly slipped into poverty. Once the war ended Rotblat began working as an electrician by day, and studying science, specifically physics topics, by night.

Education and Research

Rotblat graduated from the Free University of Poland with a degree in science. He managed to complete this while maintaining his work as an electrician. Following his graduation he began to research at the Radiological Laboratory of Warsaw, focusing on atomic properties. By 1938 he had earned his Doctorate in physics from the University of Warsaw which led him to continue his research in the Radiation Laboratory of the Scientific Society of Warsaw. In addition he became Assistant Director of Atomic Physics at his alma mater, the Free University of Poland. In 1939 he was invited to study at the United Kingdom's University of Liverpool by James Chadwick who had just won the Nobel Peace Prize for discovering the neutron. The two of them, along with the rest of their team began working to develop what would later become the atomic bomb.

Family

Joseph Rotblat met his wife, Tola Gryn, in 1930. She was a literature student at the University of Warsaw. After working to gather funds the two were finally married in 1935. When Joseph was invited to research in England his pay was not enough to bring his wife with him, so he was forced to leave her for two years. Once his pay was raised enough for her to join him she had contracted appendicitis and could not travel. Soon enough the second world war had begun and it was too late for her to join him in safety. After the war's onset Rotblat was never able to see his wife again and he remained a widower after her assumed death for the rest of his life.

The Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project began in 1941 and was a collaborative effort of scientists working in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The project began as a result of fear of the NAzis. Suspicions arose that the German had discovered how to split a uranium atom, and scientists around the world began to fear they would develop power from this. The Americans began the Manhattan Project as a precautionary step, with the goal of developing the atomic bomb. The Axis powers worked together on this project and it escalated at a rapid pace. However, despite its growth, secrecy among those involved was crucial. The information had to be kept secret from the Germans, Soviets, and Japanese. Rotblat's skill allowed him to be able to help with this project, despite his lack of American or British citizenship. Rotblat harbored reservations about the ethics regarding such a powerful weapon. In 1944 it was clear that the Germans had abandoned their work on a bomb, and the Manhattan Project was still moving forward very quickly. Rotblat finally decided that the project was unethical and asked to leave. After his request to leave Rotblat was accused of being a Soviet spy. Further investigation into the accusation shows no evidence of Rotblat's espionage.

Post-Manahattan Project

After leaving the Manhattan project Rotblat chose to pursue studies in areas that did not challenge his ethics. The use of his research and work in bombing Japan disappointed him and led him to studies that aligned more closely with his morals. He turned to studying medical and biological uses of radiation and called for a three-year moratorium of atomic research. In his new field Rotblat became Professor of Physics at St Bartholomew'sHospital in London. He then continued his achievements in the field of physics by gaining his PhD from the University of Liverpool in 1950. The research Rotblat conducted over the following years took a special focus on radiation's effects on aging and fertility.

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