Nuclear Museum Logo
Nuclear Museum Logo

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Otto Hillig

MachinistChicago, IL

Manhattan Project VeteranProject Worker/Staff
Otto Hillig Listen to Otto Hillig’s Oral History on Voices of the Manhattan Project

Otto Hillig was a Danish machinist who helped work on various projects in the early days of the Manhattan Project. Nicknamed the “Great Dane” by Enrico Fermi, Hillig proved valuable in multiple capacities while working on Chicago Piles 1 and 2. Hillig served as a carbon dioxide moderator during several experiments on Chicago Pile 2. He had a friendly relationship with both Fermi and Walter Zinn, oftentimes playing jokes on them. 

Related Profiles

Ella “Jo” Littleton

Oak Ridge, TN

Ella "Jo" Littleton Baskette worked on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee at the Y-12 Plant.

Helen R. Hughes

Chicago, IL

Helen R. Hughes was a laboratory technician in the Health Division of the University of Chicago’s Metallurgical Laboratory (“Met Lab”) during the Manhattan Project.

C. A. Billings

Y-12 Plant

C. A. Billings worked for the Tennessee Eastman Corporation at the Y-12 Plant.

H. A. Smith

Oak Ridge, TN

H. A. Smith worked for the J.A. Jones Construction Company.