The birthplace of the atomic bomb
I'm staying in London tonight. On Southampton Row.
From Wikipedia: "On 12th September 1933 the Hungarian physicist Leo Slizard, an exile from Nazi Germany, had an insight that changed the course of history as he crossed the pedestrian traffic lights at the junction of Southampton Row with Russell Square. He realised that splitting an atom with a neutron could produce further neutrons which could also split atoms leading to a chain reaction and a massive release of energy. This lead directly to the development of the atomic bomb and nuclear energy."
Also: it turns out that Sir John Barbirolli was born in Southampton Row on 2nd December 1899.
So it's not just Prime Suspect that John Lanchester's favourite London street is famous for.
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- Panasonic DMC-LX5
- f/3.3
- 19mm
- 800
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