Dwight Young (1892-1975) was a professional photographer working at a box factory when he heard about an opening at the University of Chicago’s Metallurgical Laboratory. He was hired as a photographer and engineering assistant and later transferred to Los Alamos. Young absorbed atomic theory and was a full fledged atomic researcher by the time the World War II had finished.
Later Years
Young worked as a part of Louis Slotin’s team on the dangerous “tickling the dragon’s tail” experiments. During Slotin’s fatal criticality incident on May 21, 1946, he was exposed to 51 rads of radiation, but survived in the immediate aftermath. He was hospitalized and used to observe the effects of radiation on the body, but was eventually released.
Young developed the innovative breeder nuclear reactor, which was used in U.S. nuclear rocketry tests. Young was promoted in 1953 to a full Los Alamos staff member, despite lacking a degree or any formal nuclear physics training. He worked at Los Alamos until he retired. He passed away in 1975 due to worsening health caused by his radiation exposure.