Otto Hahn Peace Medal
Encyclopedia
The Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold is named after the German nuclear chemist and 1944 Nobel Laureate Otto Hahn
, an honorary citizen of Berlin
.
The medal is in memory of his worldwide involvement in the politics of peace and humanitarian causes, in particular since the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in August 1945 by the Americans.
It was established by his grandson Dietrich Hahn in 1988 and is awarded by the United Nations
Association of Germany (Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen, Berlin-Brandenburg, DGVN) to persons or institutions that have rendered "outstanding services to peace and international understanding". By tradition, the gold medal, together with a leather-bound diploma inlaid in gold, is presented in Berlin at a biennial ceremony on 17 December by the Governing Mayor of Berlin and the President of the DGVN.
On 17 December 1938, in Berlin-Dahlem, Otto Hahn and his assistant Fritz Strassmann had discovered a new reaction in uranium (which exiled Lise Meitner
and her nephew Otto Frisch two weeks later correctly interpreted as "nuclear fission") thus laying the scientific and technical foundations of nuclear energy. This 17 December 1938 therefore marks the beginning of the atomic age, which from the scientific, political, economic, social and philosophical point of view has fundamentally changed the world.
"Ever since my early youth, I have admired Otto Hahn as a scientist and a human being. The reason for Hahn's peace work was simply that, knowing more than other citizens about atomic weapons, he felt it his duty to speak about this issue that was so crucial for mankind. He could make things clear, he had to use his knowledge. And it is why Otto Hahn, with atomic weapons in mind, wrote shortly before his death of the 'necessity of world peace'." (Prof. Dr. Sir Karl R. Popper, Kenley, 1993).
"Otto Hahn held a particular attraction for us younger people after the war. In his commitment to the promotion of free scientific enquiry, as well as in his efforts to persuade scientists to recognize their responsibility for shaping the contemporary world and the future, we found something which we could identify. And when in the fifties he came out so strongly and impressively against the misuse of nuclear science for aggressive purposes, we looked upon him as an example to us all. Another reason for the admiration we felt for Otto Hahn was that he never ceased to remind us of our duty to think not only of ourselves, and not only of the developed world, but of the world as a whole." (Dr. h.c. Hans Koschnick, Bremen, 1995).
"Otto Hahn was a fantastic man, who gives us all an example of humanity, also in the nazi era." (Prof. Dr. h.c. Lord Yehudi Menuhin, London, 1997).
"I wish to express my thanks on behalf of my husband. This award is very important to Muhammad. He feels very honoured to be the winner of the tenth Otto Hahn Peace Medal. Both Otto Hahn and Muhammad worked in professions that had destructive effects - but both worked tirelessly for peace. We warmly thank the United Nations Association of Germany, Berlin-Brandenburg, for honouring Muhammad's commitment. He will continue to devote every effort to his activities as United Nations Messenger of Peace and to his work within the Muhammad Ali Center for Peace and International Understanding." (Dr. Lonnie Ali, Berrien Springs, 2005).
Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn FRS was a German chemist and Nobel laureate, a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry". Hahn was a courageous opposer of Jewish persecution by the Nazis and after World War II he became a passionate campaigner...
, an honorary citizen of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
The medal is in memory of his worldwide involvement in the politics of peace and humanitarian causes, in particular since the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki in August 1945 by the Americans.
It was established by his grandson Dietrich Hahn in 1988 and is awarded by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Association of Germany (Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen, Berlin-Brandenburg, DGVN) to persons or institutions that have rendered "outstanding services to peace and international understanding". By tradition, the gold medal, together with a leather-bound diploma inlaid in gold, is presented in Berlin at a biennial ceremony on 17 December by the Governing Mayor of Berlin and the President of the DGVN.
On 17 December 1938, in Berlin-Dahlem, Otto Hahn and his assistant Fritz Strassmann had discovered a new reaction in uranium (which exiled Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner FRS was an Austrian-born, later Swedish, physicist who worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics. Meitner was part of the team that discovered nuclear fission, an achievement for which her colleague Otto Hahn was awarded the Nobel Prize...
and her nephew Otto Frisch two weeks later correctly interpreted as "nuclear fission") thus laying the scientific and technical foundations of nuclear energy. This 17 December 1938 therefore marks the beginning of the atomic age, which from the scientific, political, economic, social and philosophical point of view has fundamentally changed the world.
Previous Prizewinners
- 2008 Hans KüngHans KüngHans Küng is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and prolific author. Since 1995 he has been President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic . Küng is "a Catholic priest in good standing", but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology...
- Swiss theologian, founder and President of the Global Ethic Foundation (Stiftung Weltethos), Tübingen (The award ceremony will take place on December 17, 2008, in Berlin).
- 2005 Muhammad AliMuhammad AliMuhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
- US American boxer, civil rights campaigner and UN Messenger of Peace, Berrien Springs, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for his lifelong commitment to the American civil rights movement and the cultural and spiritual emancipation of black people throughout the world."
- 2003 Mary RobinsonMary RobinsonMary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
- Irish politician, former President of the Republic of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dublin, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for her political leadership, which was marked by high humanitarian ideals, and her tireless and courageous efforts for the worldwide promotion and defence of human rights."
- 2001 Miriam MakebaMiriam MakebaMiriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....
- South African singer, composer and human rights activist, Johannesburg, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for her decades of opposition to racism and apartheid in South Africa, which made her a role model in the struggle for human rights, human dignity and tolerance."
- 1999 Gerd RugeGerd RugeGerd Ruge is a German journalist, author and filmmaker.- Life and work :Ruge's career in journalism began at NWDR, concentrating on radio reporting from abroad...
- German journalist and television documentary maker, Munich, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for his commitment to the encouragement of objective reporting and for his exemplary work in promoting a better understanding of China, the Soviet Union and Russia."
- 1997 Lord Yehudi MenuhinYehudi MenuhinYehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
- British violin virtuoso and conductor, London, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for his unwavering and exemplary belief, demonstrated in his life, that music is in all circumstances a force for understanding and for peace."
- 1995 Hans KoschnickHans KoschnickHans Koschnick is a German politician and elder statesman. He was the President of the Senate and Mayor of the German city-state of Bremen from 1967 to 1985 and afterwards served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1987 to 1998.Between 1994 and 1996, Koschnick was...
- German politician (SPD) and EU Administrator in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bremen, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for his humanitarian efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which demonstrate in exemplary fashion how personal responsibility for the peace mission of the United Nations should be exercised."
- 1993 Sir Karl R. Popper - British philosopher and theoretician of science, Kenley near London, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for his achievements in social philosophy, which laid the theoretical foundations for the humane evolution of democratic societies."
- 1991 Simon WiesenthalSimon WiesenthalSimon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter....
- Austrian writer and founder of the Jewish Documentation Centre, Vienna, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for his exemplary work for truth and justice, dignity and tolerance, and for reconciliation."
- 1989 Mikhail GorbachevMikhail GorbachevMikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
- Russian politician, President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Moscow, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for his contributions to nuclear disarmament of the great powers and the creation of a fundamentally new political order in Europe."
- 1988 Sandro Pertini - Italian politician, former President of the Republic of Italy, Rome, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding, especially for his political ethics and practical humanity."
Statements by Prizewinners
"The award of the Otto Hahn Peace Medal has given me great joy and satisfaction, particularly because it is linked with the name of this great man, a great scientist, and a modest human being who was ready to help other people at all times, and who has always been a role model for me." (Prof. Dr. h.c. Simon Wiesenthal, Vienna, 1991)."Ever since my early youth, I have admired Otto Hahn as a scientist and a human being. The reason for Hahn's peace work was simply that, knowing more than other citizens about atomic weapons, he felt it his duty to speak about this issue that was so crucial for mankind. He could make things clear, he had to use his knowledge. And it is why Otto Hahn, with atomic weapons in mind, wrote shortly before his death of the 'necessity of world peace'." (Prof. Dr. Sir Karl R. Popper, Kenley, 1993).
"Otto Hahn held a particular attraction for us younger people after the war. In his commitment to the promotion of free scientific enquiry, as well as in his efforts to persuade scientists to recognize their responsibility for shaping the contemporary world and the future, we found something which we could identify. And when in the fifties he came out so strongly and impressively against the misuse of nuclear science for aggressive purposes, we looked upon him as an example to us all. Another reason for the admiration we felt for Otto Hahn was that he never ceased to remind us of our duty to think not only of ourselves, and not only of the developed world, but of the world as a whole." (Dr. h.c. Hans Koschnick, Bremen, 1995).
"Otto Hahn was a fantastic man, who gives us all an example of humanity, also in the nazi era." (Prof. Dr. h.c. Lord Yehudi Menuhin, London, 1997).
"I wish to express my thanks on behalf of my husband. This award is very important to Muhammad. He feels very honoured to be the winner of the tenth Otto Hahn Peace Medal. Both Otto Hahn and Muhammad worked in professions that had destructive effects - but both worked tirelessly for peace. We warmly thank the United Nations Association of Germany, Berlin-Brandenburg, for honouring Muhammad's commitment. He will continue to devote every effort to his activities as United Nations Messenger of Peace and to his work within the Muhammad Ali Center for Peace and International Understanding." (Dr. Lonnie Ali, Berrien Springs, 2005).