The Resume

(November 17, 1878-October 27, 1968)
Born in Vienna, Austria
After Otto Hahn produced the first nuclear fission reaction, she provided the explanation of how it occurred (February 28, 1939)
Fled Germany for Sweden after the anschluss with Austria (July, 1938)

Why she might be annoying:

For unknown reasons, she shortened her first name from Elise to Lise and her birthday from November 17 to November 7.
She bitterly complained about German scientists who failed to speak out against the Nazis even though her first reaction when Jewish scientists were fired was to say nothing and bury herself in her work.
When she fled Germany, her colleague Otto Hahn gave her his mother's diamond ring to bribe the border guards. No bribe was needed, but she never returned the ring to Hahn.

Why she might not be annoying:

Although she was baptized as a Protestant, she was persecuted by the Nazis because of her Jewish ancestry.
Albert Einstein described her as 'our Marie Curie.'
She was named 'Woman of the Year' by the National Women's Press Club (1946).
She is widely cited as the most important scientist to be overlooked by the Nobel Prize awards.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 20th Century Scientists
• Adults Who Probably Died a Virgin
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 06]
• Exiles
• I am from Vienna, Austria
• I Died in 1968 (Ranked: 89)
• I Earned a Doctorate
• I Got an Element Named After Me
• Ladies Home Journal's 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century
• Look at Me, I've Been Caught Smoking
• Man's World
• Profiles 20751-21000 (Ranked: 20969)
• Scientists

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 17 Votes: 52.94% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 14 Votes: 21.43% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 18 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 20 Votes: 45.00% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 33 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
In 2008, Out of 40 Votes: 35.00% Annoying
In 2007, Out of 201 Votes: 76.62% Annoying