huinventors1-8, Exercise 2: Szilárd and Teller

Model answer:

In common: both were physicists born in Budapest who emigrated, both worked on the American nuclear weapons effort, and both were concerned about the danger of a German bomb in the late 1930s.

Differences: Szilárd, who had conceived the chain reaction idea in 1933, signed petitions before the weapon was used on Japan asking that it be demonstrated first or not used without warning, and later campaigned for arms control. Teller became the best-known advocate of the hydrogen bomb and a strong supporter of nuclear deterrence, and his testimony at the 1954 Oppenheimer hearing divided colleagues. Both views have defenders and critics, and the details should be checked.