George de Hevesy
A Hungarian chemist who made the invisible visible, pioneering the use of radioactive tracers to unlock the secrets of life processes.
1885–1966 (age 81)·Hungarian radiochemist·Birthday: August 1·The Lost Generation
Biography
George de Hevesy turned the inherent 'flaw' of radioactivity—its detectability—into one of science's most powerful tools. Faced with the impossibility of separating certain elements in the lab, he had a brilliant idea: use a radioactive isotope as a chemical spy. This led to the creation of the radioactive tracer method, allowing researchers to track the movement of atoms through living organisms, soils, and industrial processes for the first time. His work laid the foundation for nuclear medicine, metabolic studies, and countless fields of research. Earlier, he also co-discovered the element hafnium. For transforming a hazard into a window on the molecular world, de Hevesy earned the Nobel Prize, leaving a legacy that pulses through modern biology and chemistry.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
George was born in 1885, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1885
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1885Born
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Started school
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1898Became a teenager
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1901Could drive
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1903Could vote
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Turned 21
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1915Turned 30
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 40
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1935Turned 50
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 60
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 70
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 80
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1966Died at 81
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
Key Achievements
- Awarded the 1943 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the use of isotopes as tracers in chemical processes.
- Co-discovered the chemical element hafnium (element 72) with Dirk Coster in 1923.
- Pioneered the radioactive tracer method, first using a lead isotope to study plant metabolism.
- His techniques became fundamental to the development of nuclear medicine, including diagnostic scans and radiotherapy.
Did You Know?
During World War II, he dissolved the Nobel Prize medals of Max von Laue and James Franck in aqua regia to prevent the Nazis from confiscating them; he later recovered the gold and the medals were re-cast.
He was the first to use radioactive tracers in a biological experiment, studying the uptake of lead in plants.
After the war, he helped establish the Institute for Research in Organic Chemistry in Stockholm.
“We must be content to proceed stepwise, to break up our problem into manageable parts.”
