George Gamow

George Gamow (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov was a <a href="/facts/Ukrainian_Americans/eJC1H7rM">Ukrainian-American</a> <a href="/facts/Theoretical_physics/Cs2Y12rQ">theoretical physicist</a> and <a href="/facts/Cosmologist/yM19zM7Y">cosmologist</a>. He was an early advocate and developer of <a href="/facts/Georges_Lema%C3%AEtre/odTWjQY1">Lemaître's</a> <a href="/facts/Big_Bang_theory/I5T1vTnv">Big Bang theory</a>. He discovered a theoretical explanation of <a href="/facts/Alpha_decay/rCsHNIUE">alpha decay</a> by <a href="/facts/Quantum_tunneling/WU4NMrKx">quantum tunneling</a>, invented the <a href="/facts/Liquid_drop_model/XQhTYz7e">liquid drop model</a> and the first mathematical model of the <a href="/facts/Atomic_nucleus/orpIm5Xl">atomic nucleus</a>, and worked on <a href="/facts/Radioactive_decay/Ya6FVjt4">radioactive decay</a>, <a href="/facts/Stellar_evolution/Qa4vAGmn">star formation</a>, <a href="/facts/Stellar_nucleosynthesis/qEQJdJe6">stellar nucleosynthesis</a> and <a href="/facts/Big_Bang_nucleosynthesis/IvM4gbKH">Big Bang nucleosynthesis</a> (which he collectively called <a href="/facts/Nucleocosmogenesis/F9MIeADF">nucleocosmogenesis</a>), and <a href="/facts/Molecular_genetics/Q8wsm0FE">molecular genetics</a>.
In his middle and late career, Gamow directed much of his attention to teaching and wrote popular books on science, including <a href="/facts/One_Two_Three..._Infinity/HBQj5I1j">One Two Three... Infinity</a> and the <a href="/facts/Mr_Tompkins/Pu90Im7B">Mr Tompkins</a> series of books (1939–1967). Some of his books are still in print more than a half-century after their original publication.

George Gamow open-in-new

George Gamow