(October 4, 1916-November 8, 2009)
Born in Moscow, Russian Federation
Theoretical physicist
Won the Nobel Prize in physics for contributions to superconductivity (2003)
Also did work in electromagnetic wave propogation in plasmas and the origin of comsic radiation

Along with Andrei Sakharov, he was one of the main creators of the Soviet hydrogen bomb.
He was simultaneously a member of the board of directors of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) and an outspoken atheist.
He objected to an RJC statement of solidarity because it included a prayer for the well-being of Israel.
He had bushy eyebrows that look painted on in many photos.

He was frequently denied security clearances, partly due to anti-semitism, partly because his wife had spent a year in jail on fabricated charges of plotting to assassinate Stalin.
He was married to Nina Yermakova for 66 years until his death.
He was part of the group of scientists that brought down Trofim Lysenko, returning sanity to the science of biology in the USSR.
After the collapse of communism, he campaigned against anti-semitism and for the human rights movement in Russia.
He denounced the FSB (successor to the KGB) as harmful to Russia, and its continued expansion as a return to stalinism.

Credit: C. Fishel

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