On 12 September 1933, as Leó Szilárd waited for a red light on Southampton Row in Bloomsbury, a profound idea struck him—one that would shape the course of modern history.
In that moment of pause, Szilárd conceived the concept of a nuclear chain reaction, envisioning how a single atomic event could trigger an unstoppable cascade of energy.
This flash of insight, seemingly ordinary in its setting, would ultimately lead to the development of nuclear energy, forever altering science, warfare, and global politics.
