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Enrico Fermi (September 29, 1901 - November 28, 1954) was an an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics. He was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on induced radioactivity. Fermi is widely regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 20th century, highly accomplished in both theory and experiment. Along with J. Robert Oppenheimer, he is frequently referred to as "the father of the atomic bomb". He lived in the USA from 1938, building the world's first atomic pile (reactor) in 1942. He joined the atomic bomb project at Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA, in 1944. Element number 100 is named Fermium in his honor.