Chance and Necessity in Fermi's Discovery of the Properties of the Slow Neutrons

Abstract

In October 1934 Fermi discovered that neutrons became particularly effective in rendering the elements radioactive after being slowed down by hydrogenous substances. His was described as an absolutely unpredictable scientific discovery. In this paper I report and discuss the knowledge about neutrons properties already available the previous year, which throws a new light onto a discovery too often depicted as "accidental".