This man invented world's first hydrogen bomb, but kept it secret for 50 years because..., he is...

Richard L Garwin, 97, was an American scientist who died on May 13, 2025, at his home in Scarsdale, New York. Garwin was the creator of America's hydrogen bomb. He designed the world's first hydrogen bomb at the age of 23, but this invention was kept a secret from the public for nearly half a century. 

Invention of Hydrogen Bomb

Richard L Garwin's groundbreaking design of the hydrogen bomb was a pivotal moment in Cold War history. He invented it at the age of 23, in 1952. In 1951-52, he was working as a summer consultant at the Los Alamos National laboratory. He was then appointed as a young professor at the University of Chicago. he was given the responsibility to transform the ideas of physicist Edward Teller and mathematician Stanislaw Ulam into a working design. this design was actually the first hydrogen bomb, with the device name called 'Ivy Mike', was invented on November 1, 1952, in the Marshall Islands.

A secret for 50 years

But this was kept confidential! Despite this groundbreaking invention, his name remained unknown to many for years. This was kept so confidential, that only a tight circle of government officials, officials in military and intelligence, were aware of his contribution. Edward Teller, was credited as the pioneer of the hydrogen bomb. teller after 30 years revealed the name of Richard garwin to the public. He said, “The shot was fired almost precisely according to Garwin’s design." However, this tape disappeared for 22 years. And again the contributions of Richard Garwin went unnoticed.

It was in April 2001, after Edward Teller's close associate made the recording public via 'The New York Times'. This made Garwin's name to gain recognition it deserved. In a 1984 interview with 'Esquire' magazine, Garwin said, “I never felt that building the hydrogen bomb was the most important thing in the world, or even in my life at the time.”

And after these long 50 years,  Mr garwin gained his long overdue recognition for inventing the first hydrogen bomb.

Garwin's professional life

Mr Garwin throughout his life had an illustrious career. He worked at the International Business Machines Corporation for 40 years, until retirement. He also worked as a government consultant. He has been an adviser to American Presidents, from Dwight D Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Lyndon B Johnson, Richard M Nixon to Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. 

In 2002, he received the National Medal of Science, by US President George W Bush. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, the highest civilian award, given by President Barack Obama.

Garwin's personal life

Richard Garwin was born on April 19, 1928.He graduated from the University of Chicago. He married Lois Levy (died 2018) in 1947. The couple had three children. He died on May 13, 2025, at the age of 97.