2020-04-29 Wed

Harold Clayton Urey was an American physical chemist whose pioneering work on isotopes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for the discovery of deuterium. He played a significant role in the development of the atom bomb, as well as contributing to theories on the development of organic life from non-living matter.

Harold Clayton Urey was born in Walkerton, Indiana, on April 29, 1893. After briefly teaching in rural schools, Urey earned a degree in zoology from the University of Montana and a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley.

During World War II, Urey’s team at Columbia worked on a number of research programs that contributed to the success of the Manhattan Proj - ect and the development of an atomic bomb for the United States Armed Forces.

Besides the Nobel, Urey went on to receive numerous honors and awards, including the National Medal of Science in 1964, and belonged to many professional associations, such as the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

To honor him Romania Postal Department has issued a commemorative stamp of value 7300 Romanian Leu.

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