Part 4/11:
In January 1934, a notable breakthrough occurred when the Joliot-Curies demonstrated that bombarding atomic nuclei with neutrons could indeed release energy. This was followed by further investigations into uranium by Henri Becquerel and the discovery of nuclear fission by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in 1938. Their findings would ultimately validate Szilard’s initial concepts and set the stage for the development of nuclear weapons.