The life and work of Niels Bohr – a brief sketch

Abstract

The life and work of Niels Bohr are briefly reviewed covering: his family life, background, and education; the importance of his stay in England after PhD, and the crucial contact with Rutherford; the period of the Old Quantum Theory initiated by his work on atomic structure; and his role as mentor to the next generation of physicists through his Institute in Copenhagen. The contacts with Einstein, their debates on quantum mechanics, their deep mutual respect, and their personalities, are described.