Crocodile Dundee in Cambridge

Cambridge has a wonderful history of Nobel Prize winners. From 1904 , 81 affiliates have won this prestigious award.

Today, we will hear the story of Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear physics. Well aren't we all aware of the gold foil experiment?

One of his colleagues, Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, gave Rutherford his nickname, "The Crocodile".
Not a friendly nickname, is it?

To commemorate this, Eric Gill, a notable British sculptor, engraved the figure of a crocodile on the one of the walls at the old Cavendish Lab site.

This is the official story. But, unofficially, I will tell you why and how Rutherford came to be known as "the crocodile".

He was a very strict lecturer. All his students hated him. But he was the wisest and the most knowledgeable researchers in the whole Cavendish site. People looked at him with awe. One of his colleagues, while passing by a group of students, overheard then speaking about a crocodile.

Surprised as he was, Pyotr strained his ears to listen completely what the students were wishpering. He then passed on this information to others. Everyone who came to learn about this, thought that it was Pyotr who gave Rutherford this nickname.

Pyotr did not challenge this because he knew that nome of the students would come forward to claim this. Every body was scared of the crocodile.

Probably someday or the other, I would like someone to engrave something on my office walls. A fox would be nice....At least he is wise ;¬)

Until nect time. Seeya.