PHYSICIST

Chien-Shiung Wu

1912 - 1997

Photo of Chien-Shiung Wu

Icon of person Chien-Shiung Wu

Chien-Shiung Wu (Chinese: 吳健雄; pinyin: Wú Jiànxióng; Wade–Giles: Wu2 Chien4-hsiung2; May 31, 1912 – February 16, 1997) was a Chinese-American particle and experimental physicist who made significant contributions in the fields of nuclear and particle physics. Wu worked on the Manhattan Project, where she helped develop the process for separating uranium into uranium-235 and uranium-238 isotopes by gaseous diffusion. She is best known for conducting the Wu experiment, which proved that parity is not conserved. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Chien-Shiung Wu has received more than 729,270 page views. Her biography is available in 45 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 40 in 2019). Chien-Shiung Wu is the 216th most popular physicist (up from 261st in 2019), the 239th most popular biography from China (up from 274th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular Chinese Physicist.

Chien-shiung Wu is most famous for her work in the field of particle physics. She was the first woman to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Memorability Metrics

  • 730k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 70.79

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 45

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.98

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.35

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Chien-Shiung Wus by language


Among PHYSICISTS

Among physicists, Chien-Shiung Wu ranks 216 out of 721. Before her are Jim Peebles, Kai Siegbahn, Robert Hofstadter, Frederick Reines, Francesco Maria Grimaldi, and Mihajlo Pupin. After her are Arthur Ashkin, Carl von Linde, Edmond Becquerel, Arthur Leonard Schawlow, Tsung-Dao Lee, and Joseph Swan.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1912, Chien-Shiung Wu ranks 42. Before her are Glenn T. Seaborg, Patrick White, Otto Ernst Remer, Karl Malden, Edward Mills Purcell, and Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland. After her are Juan Pujol García, Don Siegel, Kim Philby, Isser Harel, Ghazi of Iraq, and Georg Solti. Among people deceased in 1997, Chien-Shiung Wu ranks 39. Before her are Zoltán Czibor, Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark, Edward Mills Purcell, Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland, Alfred Hershey, and Nikolai Tikhonov. After her are Shoichi Yokoi, Cornelius Castoriadis, John Denver, Dodi Fayed, John Eccles, and Chaim Herzog.

Others Born in 1912

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Others Deceased in 1997

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In China

Among people born in China, Chien-Shiung Wu ranks 239 out of 1,186. Before her are Emperor Zhenzong (968), Jacques Mayol (1927), Emperor Hui of Jin (259), Emperor Shenzong of Song (1048), Lady Zhen (183), and Zhao Bing (1271). After her are Wang Xizhi (303), Sima Shi (208), Meng Tian (-250), Abaoji (872), Tsung-Dao Lee (1926), and Xu Huang (169).

Others born in China

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Among PHYSICISTS In China

Among physicists born in China, Chien-Shiung Wu ranks 3. Before her are Yang Chen-Ning (1922) and Walter Houser Brattain (1902). After her are Tsung-Dao Lee (1926), Daniel C. Tsui (1939), Qian Xuesen (1911), and He Jiankui (1984).

Chinese born Physicists

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