This lecture gives an account of the life of Max Born, the speaker's father, in the context of his forebears, family and descendants. In the 1920s Max Born created an outstanding school of Theoretical Physics in Gottingen. He was one of the founders of quantum mechanics, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1954, but before that he had established the principles of crystal physics in which, according to Nevill Mott, he stood alone. His work made him well known in the scientific community. In later life Max Born devoted great and successful efforts to making people and politicians aware of the social and political consequences and dangers of atomic science. This made him well known throughout the world. Max Born (1882-1970) represented a tradition of outstanding achievements by successive generations of European Jews. His ancestry included innovative industrialists, patrons of the arts, distinguished medical men as well as a major social activist. His half- Jewish wife linked him to another remarkable clan. The gentile side went back to Martin Luther and beyond and included the outstanding Roman lawyer of modem times. The Jewish side contained influential theologians and philosophers, as well as prominent ancient and modern historians. Thus, on the lines converging on and spreading out from Max and his wife Hedi there are people who have contributed to knowledge and ideas in an extraordinary variety of ways. The University at the centre of the story is Gottingen, Max Born was there for three decisive periods of his life: as a student (1904-1906); as lecturer (Privatdozent) (1909-1915); and as Professor (1921-1933). The family lines can be linked to these periods as follows: from the young student we can go back to his own childhood, parentage and beyond. As Privatdozent he was married, which provides the entree to my mother and her ancestry. And when he returned as Professor in 1921 my parents already had two daughters and soon also a son, which opens the way to the younger generations.
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