Abstract
The present volume to which scientists of many nations from three continents have contributed, notwithstanding the adverse times, gives proof indeed that Professor Niels Bohr’s 60th birthday, on October 7, 1945, is not only his private, personal day of celebration, but a day of observance throughout the scientific community of physicists.1
Bohr’s sixtieth anniversary was celebrated with grand festivities, but in the true Copenhagen spirit. In the morning there was a meeting at the institute with Rozental as conferencier. Speeches were made and gifts presented by Møller, Jacobsen and other members of the institute, Klein, Rosenfeld, Hylleraas and Gustafson. The Danish and Norwegian dedication publications were handed over, and, of course, a new issue of the ‘Journal of Jocular Physics’. Among the presents there was a beautiful and well-shaped van de Graaff-baby (Broström and his people had worked all night to make it go’. It did.) Some jocose films and pictures were also shown. Obviously Bohr enjoyed this form of birthday celebration as much as we all did.
In the afternoon there was an official reception at Carlsberg, attended by representatives of the Danish government and ‘Videnskabernes Selskab’, foreign ministers etc. A gift of about 400.000 danish crowns, intended for a Niels Bohr Foundation and collected in Danish financial circles, was presented to Bohr.
The dinner at Carlsberg wasvery festive and pleasant. You know what a charming hostess is Mrs. Bohr. During the dinner we first heard the special Bohr program broadcast by the Danish Radio. Bohr then made a long speech (not very easy to understand) which was later answered by his old friend Bjerrum, the chemist. Bohr was also waited upon by a torchlight procession of 3.000 students and addressed them in a most wonderful speech. He seemed to be deeply moved. Truly it was an unforgettable day and evening to us all.
Letter from Lamek Hulthén to Pauli, November 13, 1945
First published in English in Reviews of Modern Physics 17, 97 (1945).
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References
Each of the authors contributing to this issue would like to express his individual debt and gratitude to Professor Bohr, but editorial arrangements leave it to this author to convey that message from the entire group. — The author is greatly indebted to Dr. M. Delbrück, Physics Department, Vanderbilt University, for the translation of the original manuscript into English, and for suggestions concerning its content.
N. Bohr, Philosophical Magazine 26, 1 (1913), contained as Paper I in Abhandlungen über Atombau. (Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, Braunschweig, 1921); translated from the Philosophical Magazine of the years 1913–1916, including a paper which was withdrawn from publication in 1916.
N. Bohr, Philosophical Magazine 27, 506 (1914) and 28, 394 (1915), contained in N. Bohr: Abhandlungen über Atombau. (Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, Braunschweig, 1921) as Papers VI and IX. See also especially Paper X, which was earlier withheld from publication.
Compare Essay I in N. Bohr: The Theory of Spectra and Atomic Constitution. (Cambridge University Press, Teddington, England, 1922), which is a translation of an address delivered before the Physical Society of Copenhagen in December, 1913 and printed in Fysisk Tidsskrift 12, 97 (1914).
N. Bohr: “On the quantum theory ofline spectra”, Parts I and II. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskabs, matematisk-fysiske Meddelelser [8] IV, No. 1 (1918).
N. Bohr: “On the application of quantum theory to the structure of atoms. Part I: The fundamental postulates.” Supplement of the Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosoph-ical Society, 1924. Translated from Zeitschrift für Physik 13, 117 (1923).
See Essay I in N. Bohr: Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature. (Cambridge University Press, Teddington, England, 1934.)
Introductory survey in Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature, p. 10.
See N. Bohr: “Light and Life”, address delivered at the International Congress on light-therapy in Copenhagen, August 1932; Nature 131, 421 and 457 (1933), p. 423. [Compare also Die Naturwissenschaften 21, 245 (1933).]
See N. Bohr: “Light and Life”, Nature 131, p. 422.
N. Bohr and L. Rosenfeld: “Zur Frage der Messbarkeit der elektromagnetischen Feldgrössen.” Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskabs, matematisk-fysiske Meddelelser XII, No. 8, (1933).
See N. Bohr: Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature. (Cambridge University Press, Teddington, England, 1934), Introductory Survey, and Essays III and IV.
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Pauli, W. (1994). Niels Bohr on His 60th Birthday. In: Enz, C.P., von Meyenn, K. (eds) Writings on Physics and Philosophy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-02994-7_6
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