Enrico Ferm: The Italian Physicist

Enrico Ferm: The Italian Physicist

It is commonly believed that all life evolved from simple single celled organisms. From our single celled ancestors man has evolved to become the most advanced life form on the planet thanks in part to too the vast cognitive abilities of the brain.   The human brain has allowed man to separate itself from the rest of the Earthly organisms through speech and manual dexterity. These two important distinctions have led to a rich collection of cultural artistry through paintings, sculpture, music and written word. Despite the beauty of the cultural achievements of man, it was scientific knowledge which has allowed the human race to penetrate the barriers of inner space, outer space and the intricacies of the human body. As man seeks further understanding and knowledge of not only the world but also the universe, one cannot forget the scientific achievements of past intellectuals. Italians have played an important part in the scientific world by putting forth their discoveries for the good of all mankind. One such Italian was Enrico Fermi, who from a young age, showed an enriched intellect that would spawn discoveries impacting both positively and negatively on the world.
The early years of Enrico's life contained triumphant moments marred by a tragedy. Enrico was born in 1901 in Rome to Alberto Fermi and Ida de Gattis (Segre, 1970). Alberto did not work the land to support his family but rather was employed by various railroad companies as well as the Italian government where he held administrative posts, "Because of mergers among Italian railroad companies, Alberto was on the payroll of several of

them and held various administrative jobs that took him to various parts of Italy" (Segre, 1970).   Ida was a teacher of elementary children for the majority of her life and thus had a
profound influence on Enrico's academic success. Ida was raised with a sense of discipline instilled by her father who was a military officer. Her discipline provided a sound foundation...