Chaim Weizmann

Chaim Azriel Weizmann (27 November 1874 in Motal, Belarus – 9 November 1952 in Jerusalem) was the first President of Israel.

Weizmann came to the University of Manchester in 1904, where he lectured on chemistry. During World War I, the British forces needed to increase the production of artillery shells. The production was limited by a shortage of acetone, needed to produce cordite. Cordite was used to propel (fire) shells and bullets to their targets. Weizmann developed a production of acetone from the anaerobic fermentation of maize and horse chestnuts by bacteria. As a result, the production of shells rose from 500,000 in the first five months of the war to 16.4 million in 1915.David, Saul 2012. How Germany lost the WWI arms race. BBC NewsLocal industry owes much to Weizmann

Weizmann was President of Israel from 1948, and he died in 1952. He had worked for years to get agreement for the Israel.Current Biography 1942, pp 877-80.  The story goes that Weizmann asked Balfour, "Would you give up London to live in Saskatchewan?"  When Balfour replied that the British had always lived in London, Weizmann responded, "Yes, and we lived in Jerusalem when London was still a marsh."

Published work


References

Category:1874 births
Category:1952 deaths
Category:Israeli autobiographers
Category:Belarusian Jews
Category:British chemists
Category:Israeli academics
Category:Jewish British academics
Category:Jewish British scientists
Category:Jewish Israeli politicians
Category:Naturalized citizens of Israel
Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
Category:Presidents of Israel
Category:Russian Jews
Category:Zionists
Category:Academics of the University of Manchester