Peter Debye

Physicist

Birthday March 24, 1884

Birth Sign Aries

Birthplace Netherlands

DEATH DATE Nov 2, 1966 (82)

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About

A Dutch-American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1936 for his research on X-ray diffraction. There has been much speculation about his role in World War II and some have posited that he was a spy for the Nazis who helped rid German science institutions of Jews while others claim he was a spy for the British.

Before Fame

He obtained a degree in electrical engineering in 1905.

Trivia

He used light-scattering techniques to figure out the size and molecular weight of polymer molecules.

Family Life

He had a son and a daughter with his wife Mathilde Alberer, who he married in 1913.

Associated With

He had a contentious relationship with fellow scientist Albert Einstein.