Hans Bethe, an only child, was born on July 2, 1906, in Strasbourg, when Alsace was part of the Wilhelminian empire. His father was a widely respected physiologist who accepted a professorship in Frankfurt when Hans was nine years old; his mother was a gifted musician who was raised in Strasbourg where her father had been a professor of medicine. The high school Bethe attended in Frankfurt was a traditional Humanistisches Gymnasium with a heavy emphasis on Greek and Latin. While there, he learned Latin and Greek, read Kant, Goethe, and Schiller, and also learned French and English and a good deal of science. Classes were from 8 A.M. to 1 P.M., six days a week, with much homework assigned daily.

Hans Albrecht Bethe. (Library of Congress)

Bethe's talents, particularly his numerical and mathematical abilities, manifested themselves early. By the time he had finished...