Voting Station

Fritz Haber

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Scientist

The Resume

    (December 9, 1868-January 29, 1934)
    Born in Breslau, Germany
    Developed the Haber process for commercially producing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen
    Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1918)

Why he might be annoying:

    He developed the use of chlorine and other poison gases during World War I and was considered the 'father of chemical warfare.'
    His wife, who opposed his work on poison gases, shot herself following a banquet honoring him for overseeing the first use of chlorine gas during the Battle of Ypres (1915).
    The morning his wife died, he left for the Eastern front to supervise poison gas attacks against Russia.
    Between the World Wars, he tried unsuccessfully to extract gold from seawater to pay off Germany's war reparations.
    His firm developed Zyklon B, an insecticide that the Nazis would put to lethal use in the concentration camps.

Why he might not be annoying:

    The Haber process made cheap fertilizers available and was credited with averting a population crisis.
    Because he had been born Jewish, the Nazis forced him to leave Germany.
    Several of his relatives died in concentration camps, gassed with Zyklon B.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 24 Votes: 8.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 24 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 20 Votes: 45.00% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 19 Votes: 78.95% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 35 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 33 Votes: 60.61% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 72 Votes: 76.39% Annoying