H. A. Kramers: Why a Biography?

Abstract

On April 25, 1952, almost all the major newspapers in The Netherlands carried news reports on the death of Professor Dr. H. A. Kramers, holder of the chair of theoretical physics at the University of Leiden. These obituaries recorded the major events in his life, including his birth, on December 17, 1894 in Rotterdam, and his education in Leiden. Kramers’ contributions to science, which brought him national prominence and international eminence, were dutifully enumerated. Some of the highlights of his career were stressed: Kramers was the first scientific collaborator of Niels Bohr in the formulation and elaboration of the first modem theory of the atom. In 1946 Kramers was elected Chairman of the scientific and technological subcommittee of the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission. From 1946 to 1951 Kramers was president of the prestigious Union Internationale de Physique Pure et Applique. Clearly, Kramers was a major figure in physics and in the world of science.