Professor Max von Laue, c mid-20th century

Max Theodor Felix von Laue, born 9 October 1879 in Kingdom of Prussia, died 24 April 1960. von Laue was a German physicist most known for his work on the discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals, for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1914. von Laue studied at the University of Strasburg, the University of Göttingen, and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), finally studying under Max Planck at the University of Berlin. von Laue obtained his PhD in 1903, and his Habilitation in 1906. Immediately after graduating he worked in Berlin as an assistant to Planck, where he met Albert Einstein. He undertook his work on X-ray diffraction in 1912. von Laue's father was promoted to the ranks of hereditary nobility, leading to the family name becoming von Laue from Laue. von Laue married Magdalene Degen and had two children. After the rise of National Socialism in Germany, von Laue become vocal in his opposition to Nazism and to Deutsche Physik (a program under which 'Aryan' scientists were given roles and scientists considered to be Jewish were expelled). von Laue, with his friend and fellow scientist Otto Hahn, helped facilitate Jewish scientists to emigrate from Germany and find postings abroad. He also sent his Nobel Prize medal to George de Hevsey in Denmark to avoid confiscation, but after the Nazis invaded Denmark, de Hevsey dissolved the medal and kept it hidden to prevent von Laue's arrest for sending gold out of Germany. In 1945, von Laue was taken into custody by Allied Forces as part of Operation Alsos - an effort to discover the extent of the Nazi nuclear program. Whilst in custody with other scientists, it became known that von Laue had remained in Germany during Nazi rule but not become 'compromised' which greatly alienated him from the other scientists who had done work with the Nazis. von Laue returned to Germany in 1946, and went back to being the acting director of Kaiser Wilhelm Institute (in Einstein's absence). von Laue played a key role in re-establishing the sciences after WWII, helping form the original institutes latter 1940s, that would become the foundation of post-WWII German science. After being struck by a motorcyclist whilst driving to work in 1960, Laue died sixteen days later of his injuries.