Luis Alvarez

1. Luis Alvarez Scientists in the 20th century made huge contributions to the world of research. Dr. Luis Alvarez, a physicist of Spanish descent, worked on identifying subatomic particles and creating the atomic bomb. He won the Nobel prize for his work in 1968. How did he influence America?

3. Dr. Luis Alvarez, whose family was of Spanish descent, was a noted physicist in the 20th century. His work included identifying subatomic particles, creating the atomic bomb, and studying the impact of asteroids on the earth. He won the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics.

5. Dr. Alvarez worked with Dr. Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project, the code name for the secret project to develop an atomic bomb during World War II. Roosevelt, F. (1943). Letter, Franklin D. Roosevelt to J. Robert Oppenheimer thanking the physicist and his colleagues for their ongoing secret atomic research, 29 June 1943. Library of Congress: American Memory, Words and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years.

7. With the help of his son Walter, a geologist, Alvarez proved that asteroids colliding with the earth’s surface were responsible for severe climate changes 65 million years ago. These climate changes had a number of effects on the earth, including the extinction of the dinosaurs. Unknown. (n.d.). [Dinosaur exhibit at the Field Museum, with the tail of the dinosaur at the right of the image]. Library of Congress: American Memory, Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, 1902-1933.

9. Alvarez spent most of his career working at the University of California, Berkeley. Green, C. (1909). Berkeley. Library of Congress: American Memory, Map Collections: 1500-2004.

11. Alvarez was also a Professor of Physics at other universities.