James Van Allen is best known for his discovery of bands of high-level radiation surrounding Earth. Popularly known as the Van Allen belts, these belts are part of Earth's magnetosphere. Although Van Allen's discovery of the belts has been the highlight of his career, he has also been associated with other significant scientific research. During World War II Van Allen made his first significant scientific contribution by creating the radio proximity fuse , a small tracking device that triggered weapons when they were close to the target. The knowledge and skills Van Allen developed in weapons research and miniaturization later proved useful in his studies of the atmosphere using rockets and satellites.

James Alfred Van Allen was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, on September 7, 1914. He was the second of four sons of Alfred M. Van Allen, an attorney, and Alma E. (Olney) Van Allen. His interest in science developed...