Stolen Physics Nobel Prize sheesh

In summary: Obviously this is a very serious crime and the police should be looking for anyone who has knowledge of where this medal might be.In summary, a thief broke into a Harvard professor's home and stole a Nobel Prize-winning item, but authorities are still looking for the item and the thief.
  • #1
rhody
Gold Member
681
3
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2010/04/16/harvard_professors_nobel_prize_stolen/"
ARLINGTON, Mass.—Police have caught a man they suspect of breaking into a Harvard professor's suburban Boston home, but they are still looking for some missing items -- including a Nobel Prize.

Police tell the Boston Herald that Stephen Beaulieu of Skowhegan, Maine broke into the Arlington home of Roy Glauber (GLAW'-buhr) last month while the 2005 Nobel Prize for physics winner was away. Authorities say the 42-year-old Beaulieu left behind evidence, including a half-eaten meal and supermarket receipt for purchases made with his food stamp card that led to his arrest last week.

Beaulieu has pleaded not guilty to breaking and entering and remains jailed in lieu of bail. His attorney didn't return calls.

The 84-year-old Glauber says the Nobel and other missing awards "mean a great deal to me."

The thief sounds like a "real genius" too, hope Dr Gluber gets his Nobel back soon, has this ever happened before ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_J._Glauber"
Roy Jay Glauber (born 1 September 1925) is an American theoretical physicist. He is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard University and Adjunct Professor of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. Born in New York City, he was awarded one half of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence", with the other half shared by John L. Hall and Theodor W. Hänsch.

Rhody... :mad:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Just what does a Nobel Prize look like? A gilded stick of dynamite?
 
  • #3
zoobyshoe said:
Just what does a Nobel Prize look like? A gilded stick of dynamite?

Like http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/medal.html" , quite impressive, it is a medal.

Rhody... :approve:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #4
I'm glad I don't live in Skowhegan anymore. I'd be ashamed to admit it after that moron's actions.
 
  • #5
Authorities say the 42-year-old Beaulieu left behind evidence, including a half-eaten meal and supermarket receipt for purchases made with his food stamp card that led to his arrest last week.

Eyes.. can not unsee what they have seen. That made my day right there.
 
  • #6
I think that the person may not have known what exactly it was they were taking. From the looks of things they were scraping by in life... of course a freaking huge shiny medal with latin inscriptions is going to be attractive since it would most likely sell for a lot of money.
 
Last edited:
  • #7
zomgwtf said:
I think that the person man not have known what exactly it was they were taking. From the looks of things they were scraping by in life... of course a freaking huge shiny medal with latin inscriptions is going to be attractive since it would most likely sell for a lot of money.
It would only be good for scrap-gold price since it would be instantly identifiable. If he hocked it at a pawn shop, the owner had better take cover because the thief will likely crack really quick if the DA offerers him a plea-bargain in return for helping recover the loot.
 
  • #8
turbo-1 said:
It would only be good for scrap-gold price since it would be instantly identifiable. If he hocked it at a pawn shop, the owner had better take cover because the thief will likely crack really quick if the DA offerers him a plea-bargain in return for helping recover the loot.

I don't think you understood my post.
 
  • #9
zomgwtf said:
I don't think you understood my post.
You mean that you think the thief is so ignorant that he wouldn't recognize "Nobel" on the medal and figure it out? He'd have to be way out-of-touch. Of course, if he was stupid enough to to buy food with his food-assistance card and leave the receipt in the house he burglarized, he might actually BE that ignorant.
 
  • #10
turbo-1 said:
You mean that you think the thief is so ignorant that he wouldn't recognize "Nobel" on the medal and figure it out? He'd have to be way out-of-touch. Of course, if he was stupid enough to to buy food with his food-assistance card and leave the receipt in the house he burglarized, he might actually BE that ignorant.

As far as I know it looks like a 'regular' minted coin. One side has Alfred Nobels face with I think a date inscription in Roman numerals and on the other side is what rhody posted with a latin inscription. This is assuming this person even checked OUT the medal in the first place. If I were that desperate and I saw a huge shiny gold medal I'd take it, why bother reading that?

Also you seem to be under the assumption that everyone knows who Alfred Nobel is and what a Nobel prize medal is etc. Some people don't even KNOW about the existence of Nobel prizes, rofl.

I think it's entirely plausible that this person just took the medal probably to attempt to sell it.
 
  • #11
turbo-1 said:
You mean that you think the thief is so ignorant that he wouldn't recognize "Nobel" on the medal and figure it out? He'd have to be way out-of-touch. Of course, if he was stupid enough to to buy food with his food-assistance card and leave the receipt in the house he burglarized, he might actually BE that ignorant.

The Nobel prize isn't so well known. And it has became a joke, so no one really reports it.

Hell I thought it looked like a grammy award, not like some Chinese coin.
 
  • #12
Also you seem to be under the assumption that everyone knows who Alfred Nobel is and what a Nobel prize medal is etc. Some people don't even KNOW about the existence of Nobel prizes, rofl.
I've met people who don't know what a periodic table is, so it doesn't surprise me that someone wouldn't know what a Nobel Prize is. I've even had a guy ask me if I believe in robots.
Never underestimate how ignorant people can be. There's lots of adults who can't even read.
 
  • #13
MotoH said:
The Nobel prize isn't so well known. And it has became a joke, so no one really reports it.

Hell I thought it looked like a grammy award, not like some Chinese coin.
The Nobel prize in physics is the highest award in the field, so it's hardly a joke. And the medallion that accompanies the prize looks like a very heavy minted coin with Nobel's face in profile, and his name in relief under his chin. It is 100% for certain that any pawn-shop operator would know exactly what he was holding. Those guys don't stay in business by being ignorant.
 
  • #14
turbo-1 said:
The Nobel prize in physics is the highest award in the field, so it's hardly a joke. And the medallion that accompanies the prize looks like a very heavy minted coin with Nobel's face in profile, and his name in relief under his chin. It is 100% for certain that any pawn-shop operator would know exactly what he was holding. Those guys don't stay in business by being ignorant.

Who cares what the pawn shop people think? I haven't read anyone even talk about pawn shops let alone the competence of the shop owners aside from you...
 

1. What is the "Stolen Physics Nobel Prize"?

The "Stolen Physics Nobel Prize" refers to the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physics, which was awarded to Cecil Powell for his work on the development of the photographic method of studying nuclear processes. However, it was later discovered that Powell's research was heavily influenced by the work of another scientist, Giuseppe Occhialini, who was not credited or mentioned in Powell's nomination for the Nobel Prize.

2. How was the Nobel Prize stolen?

The Nobel Prize was not physically stolen, but rather it was awarded to Cecil Powell based on incomplete and misleading information. Occhialini's contributions to the research were not properly acknowledged, leading to the Nobel Committee awarding the prize to Powell alone.

3. Has the Nobel Prize been revoked?

No, the Nobel Prize has not been officially revoked. However, in 1959, the Nobel Committee expressed regret for not recognizing Occhialini's contributions and awarded him an honorary diploma. This was seen as a way to acknowledge his role in the research and to rectify the mistake made in awarding the Nobel Prize to Powell alone.

4. Has this happened with any other Nobel Prizes?

Yes, there have been other instances where Nobel Prizes have been awarded to one researcher while neglecting the contributions of others. For example, in 1974, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Albert Claude, Christian de Duve, and George Palade for their work on the structure and function of cells. However, the contributions of two other scientists, Keith Porter and George E. Palade, were not acknowledged.

5. How has this impacted the scientific community?

The "Stolen Physics Nobel Prize" has sparked discussions and debates within the scientific community about the importance of properly acknowledging and crediting all contributors to a research project. It serves as a reminder to always give credit where credit is due and to recognize the collaborative nature of scientific research.

Similar threads

News RIP Roy Glauber - 2006 Nobel Laureate in Physics
    • General Discussion
Replies
2
Views
1K
History Who should have been the 4th laureate in the Nobel Prize in Physics?
    • Art, Music, History, and Linguistics
Replies
2
Views
263
Has the Nobel Prize ever been reversed due to incorrect basis?
    • General Discussion
Replies
21
Views
2K
B Who Won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics and What Did They Discover?
    • Special and General Relativity
2
Replies
48
Views
7K
Jack Smith: A Life in Theoretical Physics
    • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
1
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top