As any fule kno, Bohr was evacuated in a small boat from Copenhagen across the Øresund to Sweden in late September 1943,¹ a few days before the mass evacuation of 7000-odd Danish Jews.² Three weeks later the RAF brought him over to Scotland in one of the 10 Mosquito bombers in which the bomb-bay had been converted into a hold for cargo or passengers.³ Due to Bohr's Cranium of Unusual Size, hilarity ensued:
According to Freeman Dyson in Disturbing the Universe, Bohr himself preferred yet another version of the story. Allegedly, he had not passed out -- if he was unconscious, it was merely a peaceful nap -- and he was sorry to alarm the pilot, but if they wanted him to hear and respond to the queries over the intercom about his health, then they really should have given him an intercom headset he could actually wear.Dyson also tells of Bohr repeating a cryptic joke about "following behind in a small boat", puzzling Dyson who still couldn't see the punchline 30 years later when writing his memoir. Honestly, don't they teach physicists to recognise Dante quotations these days?
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¹ It pains me to say that the description of Bohr's excursion given in Three Hearts and Three Lions is not completely accurate.² Many were smuggled to safety on the beer-shuttle ferrying beer to Sweden from the Carlsberg brewery, secure in the knowledge that the German forces would never interfere with these vital supplies for fear of dragging Sweden into the war.
³ Cargoes were normally ball bearings from SKF. To keep the Swedes happy with their civilians-only policy, the Mosquitos were registered as non-military planes and operated by BOAC.
14 comments:
I don't want to come over all doubting Thomas and all but when have pilots ever given a rats arse?
As for having a big bonce, well why you hatin'?
icshid, I never do what I should.
I am objectively in favour of big bonces.
I am also in favour of large crash-helmets being available so that people with the triple-XO skulls could ride motorbikes, but is anyone making them? It is enough to shake one's faith in The Market.
They will always make big XO helmets for killin' with, that's the market forces workin' for yo dollar right there.
nolphoo, nothing like one.
The CUS community demands satisfaction!
~
On the topic of the Mossie, Herman Goering accidentally explains the outcome of the war:
"What do you make of that? There is nothing the British do not have. They have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops."
"Save Danish Jews!! Win valuable prizes!"
He had the heavy water in an empty beer bottle so I have heard. It was a hilarity filled trip.
A mosquito bomb is really annoying, but Jesus no wonder the war took so long to wrap up.
I am objectively in favour of big bonces.
I like big skulls and I cannot lie.
Wanna bash it with an ax, just try!
Off topic (but hey, nobody pays attention when I am ON topic, so eff it) Gent from Queensland, Darren Hanlon, opening for Billy Bragg tonight. In Milwaukee. Yes, you may be jealous.
what's that, Mr. Tequila Bottle? Happy Hour starts at 1 PM today? well, if you say so....
If you had of asked Mr Hat it may have been close on topic.
slonked, really really ratted.
Also "7000 odd Danish Jews" They can't have all been peculiar.
Eschewing pork products in the home of the world's best bacon sounds pretty odd to me.
There's no better bacon than that grown by a minister of finance they say.
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