Profile: Harry K. Daghlian, Jr.

Harry K. Daghlian, Jr.
1921 - 1945

Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, the first child of Haroutune Krikor Daghlian and Margaret Rose Daghlian. Harry grew fond of science and mathematics, especially since his father was an X-ray technician and his uncle a professor of physics and astronomy. He graduated first in mathematics from his high school and graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Robert Oppenheimer recruited Harry and four of his colleagues for work on the atomic bomb project in 1943 and he would begin working there in the spring of 1944, after completing required coursework back home.

On 21 August, 1945, Daghlian was involved with a series of experiments concerning the critical masses of radioactive Plutonium 239. Critical mass is the amount of material needed to sustain a chain reaction, which is essential to atomic bombs. In his final experiment, Harry was dealing with tungsten carbide blocks, which surround a radioactive core and help reduce the amount of material needed to sustain a chain reaction. As he stacked the blocks to determine the amount needed for criticality, he accidentally dropped one of them directly over the core, initiating a reaction. Massive doses of radiation were released from this event, while Harry averted an even greater disaster by knocking the blocks off with his hand, all the while receiving even more radiation. He was immediately taken to a hospital and treated for over 26 days, but to no avail. Daghlian died at 4:30 PM on Saturday, September 15, 1945. Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. became the first American casualty of the atomic age. On May 20, 2000, Daghlian was memorialized by the city of New London, Connecticut.

Did you know?
This radioactive Plutonium core used by Daghlian was probably the core for the next intended atomic bomb to be used on Japan, though it was never dropped. The second of the two bombs used on the city of Nagasaki used a similar Plutonium core, though it was dropped days earlier on August 9, 1945.

If you would like to learn more, here are some suggested sources:
Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. Website
Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. on Wikipedia
Fat Man on Wikipedia

Profile: Calouste Gulbenkian

Calouste Gulbenkian
1869 - 1955

Calouste Gulbenkian born into an illustrious Armenian family in Scutari, Turkey. The oil baron got his start in England: he studied petroleum engineering at King's College London and immediately thereafter went to the oil-rich Middle East and opened it up to the world; he was also instrumental in founding the oil-giant Royal Dutch/Shell. Gulbenkian was the main architect behind the Turkish Petroleum Company, which was created in 1912/1914 so that the biggest European oil companies could explore for oil in Iraq: this would also ensure that other firms would be kept out, thus greater profits for the participants.

From all of his business endeavors, Gulbenkian amassed an incredible fortune, which he used to build an amazing art collection. His collection is now housed in a museum in Lisbon, Portugal, and includes rare and treasured art, some dating back nearly 4,000 years; When he died, a clause in his will created the Gulbenkian Foundation, whose activities are in the fields of arts, charity, education and science. The foundation also awards an annual Gulbenkian Prize of £100,000 to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence".

Did you know?
Gulbenkian is very well known as "Mr. Five Percent" because he had a 5% interest in the Turkish Petroleum Company, which he put together. It may not seem like a lot, but it was enough to make him a multimillionaire and reportedly the richest man in the world for many years!

If you would like to learn more, here are some suggested sources:
Gulbenkian Museum
Gulbenkian Foundation
Calouste Gulbenkian
Iraq Petroleum Company
Gulbenkian Prize
Gulbenkian Essay

Profile: Komitas Vardapet

Komitas Vardapet
1869 - 1935

We may know Komitas by name, but do we really know who he was? Komitas, whose original name was Soghomon Gevorki Soghomonyan, was an Armenian priest, composer, choir leader, singer, music ethnologist, music educator, and musicologist. He was one of the many brilliant Armenians who were arrested and deported starting in 1915 by the Turkish government. Even though he survived the ordeal due to the intervention of many of his influential friends, the horrors that he witnessed forever impacted his soul. Komitas died in 1935, having spent the last twenty years of his life at Villejuif, a suburban sanatorium in Paris.

Did you know?
In 1906 after one of the concertos, the outstanding French composer Claude Debussy exclaimed excitedly: “Brilliant father Komitas! I bow before your musical genius!”

If you would like to learn more, here are some suggested sources:
Komitas Virtual Museum (ENG,ARM,RUS)
Komitas on WikiPedia