Rickover, Hyman George (1900-1986), an American naval officer, pioneered in developing the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine. In 1965, he received the Enrico Fermi Medal, the highest United States atomic science award. Rickover stated his views on education in Education and Freedom (1959).
In 1947, Rickover became head of the Naval Reactors Branch of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. He also served as head of the Nuclear Power Division of the U.S. Navy. He was promoted to the rank of vice admiral in 1959. Rickover reached compulsory retirement age in 1964, but his active duty was extended. In 1973, he was promoted to the rank of admiral. He continued to serve in the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program until his retirement in 1982. Rickover was born Jan. 27, 1900, in Makow, a town about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Warsaw in an area of Poland that was then part of the Russian Empire. He came to the United States with his family when he was 6 years old. He and his family soon became citizens. Rickover died on July 8, 1986.
