Born in Venice, Italy, in 1905, Bruno Rossi attended the University of Bologna, graduating with a doctorate in physics in 1927. When race-based laws inspired by his country’s growing closeness with Nazi Germany meant the Jewish Rossi had to leave Italy, he made his way to the U.S. In 1940, Rossi became an associate professor of physics at Cornell University, and from 1943-1946, he worked on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Laboratory. After the war, Rossi joined the faculty of MIT, where he remained until his retirement in the early ’70s.
Throughout his long career across countries and institutions, Rossi laid the groundwork for the study of several key fields in astronomy and astrophysics. His research into cosmic rays became the basis of high-energy particle physics, while his pioneering search for cosmic X-rays jump-started X-ray astronomy. Rossi also conducted trailblazing research into the interplanetary medium, and contributed to the development of public policy for space exploration. Rossi passed away at age 88 on Nov. 21, 1993. Today, among other honors and memorials that Rossi accrued, the Bruno B. Rossi Prize for astrophysics is awarded yearly.
