Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to re: Science

America's brain transplant from Europe
Gary — (archived)

Raoul said:

"the German Rocket scientists were invited in the US to help building the space program. It is true the brightest minds in the world want to go to the US and it is in the US interest to welcome them."

For three long years I lived in Goettingen, Germany. While I was there, I learned a few things about German scientific history. From the late nineteenth century to the early 1930s, Goettingen was the center of the scientific universe. Astronomy, electromagnetic theory, quantum theory, nuclear physics, boundary layer theory, compressible fluid mechanics and many other fields of scientific study were developed in Goettingen. Unfortunately, Goettingen's local political leaders were hopelessly seduced by Naziism. As a center of scientific excellence, Goettingen put a gun to its own head and pulled the trigger. That sad story was repeated through out Germany, Italy and much of Europe. Many of the brightest scientists and engineers saw the disaster coming and fled to the United States, e.g. Einstein, von Karman, Ed Teller, Enrico Fermi, Antonio Ferri, etc. Some engineers and scientists remained to serve the Nazis, e.g. Heisenburg, Prandtl, von Braun, etc. I can only think of one scientist who remained in Germany and publically criticized the Nazis. This courageous and very honorable man was Max Planck. Planck survived World War II and was later buried in Goettingen, not far from Max Born and Prandtl's graves.

The wholesale destruction of Europe's scientific institutions by the Nazis was to America's considerable benefit. The best and brightest of Europe fled to the United States and formed the core of a new scientific elite. They also provided the basis for our nuclear weapon's program and aerospace industry. In essence, the European scientific traditions that made Europe great in the 1920s, thrived in the United States. To some extent, history repeated itself with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now some of our brightest engineers are Russian immigrants.

Immigration has been the root of America's technological and scientific strength.

Gary

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