Bohr, Margrethe (1890–1984)

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Bohr, Margrethe (1890–1984)

Danish wife of Niels Bohr. Born Margrethe Norlund in 1890 in Slagelse, Denmark; died 1984; dau. of a pharmacist; m. Niels Bohr (major force in the field of quantum physics), 1912 (died 1962); children: 6 sons, including Aage Bohr.

Was studying French for a teacher's certificate, when she met Niels Bohr; acted for years as his assistant; was also his sounding board for many of his scientific ideas; after the Danish goverment moved family into a palatial mansion, officiated over the many receptions held for visiting scientists and dignitaries; during WWII, was concerned when the German physicist Werner Heisenberg came to Copenhagen to talk with her part-Jewish husband (1941); escaped to Sweden (1943). Portrayed in Michael Frayn's play, Copenhagen.