1903, January 12

He was born in the village of Simsky Zavod, Ufa gubernia (today town of Sim, Ashinsky district, Chelyabinsk region).

1920

Graduated from the Simferopol State High School with a gold medal.

1923

Graduated ahead of schedule from the Crimean University (Simferopol) and moved to Petrograd, where he was admitted to the third year of the Petrograd Polytechnical Institute.

1923-1924

An observer at the Main Geophysical Observatory in Slutsk (today Pavlovsk, Leningrad region). In winter he carried out the first experimental research in measuring of alpha-radioactivity of snow.

1924-1925

A junior member of research staff at the physics chair of the Azerbaijani Polytechnical Institute (Baku).

1925-1933

Research assistant, chief engineer-physicist, head of the laboratory at the Leningrad Physico-Technical Institute (LFTI).

1927-1929

Senior lecturer at the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute.

1933-1943

Head of the department of nuclear physics at LFTI.

1934

He was awarded the degree of doctor of physico-mathematical sciences for a cycle of works in physics of dielectrics and semiconductors without defending a thesis.

1935

He was given the title of Professor.

1935-1941

Professor, head of the chair at the Leningrad State Pedagogical Institute named after M. Pokrovsky.

1937-1940

Head of the physical department and the cyclotron laboratory of the USSR AS Radium Institute (Leningrad).

1941-1943

Scientific consultant at the Administration of Ship-Building of the USSR Navy.

1942

He was awarded the USSR State Prize for elaboration and introduction of the method of demagnetization of ships.

1943

Elected full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

1943, February 11

By the decision of the State Defense Committee was appointed supervisor of studies in utilization of atomic energy.

1943-1960

Head of Laboratory No. 2 of the USSR AS, Moscow (from 1949--Laboratory of Measuring Instruments of the USSR AS; from 1956--Institute of Atomic Energy of the USSR AS).

1945

Awarded the Lenin Order for his remarkable achievements in the development of science and technology.

1946

He headed the start of the first in Eurasia experimental nuclear uranium-graphite reactor F-l (Moscow).

1946-1960

Member of the USSR AS Presidium.

1948

Headed the starting of the first in Eurasia industrial nuclear reactor in Chelyabinsk-40 (today Ozersk, Chelyabinsk region).

1949

Headed tests of the first Soviet atomic bomb at the Semipalatinsk proving ground (Kazakh SSR). He was awarded the USSR State Prize and the title of the Hero of Socialist Labor.

1951

He was given the title of the Hero of Socialist Labor and the USSR State Prize.

1953

Received the Order of Lenin. Headed tests of the first in the world transportable hydrogen bomb at the Semipalatinsk proving ground.

1953-1959

Implemented scientific management of works connected with creation of the first in the world atomic icebreaker Lenin (in cooperation with Academician A. Alexandrov).

1954

He was awarded the title of the Hero of Socialist Labor and the USSR State Prize. Headed the starting of the first in the world atomic electric station in Obninsk (Kaluga region).

1955

Headed preparation of reports of the Soviet delegation at the 1st International Conference on Peaceful Utilization of Atomic Energy (Geneva, Switzerland). Carried out the All-Union Meeting on Controlled Thermonuclear Reactions.

1956

As a member of the Soviet government delegation he made reports at the Harwell Atomic Center (England) on the problem of controlled thermonuclear reactions and development of atomic power engineering in the USSR.

1956-1957

On Kurchatov's initiative and with his active participation there started construction of big atomic electric stations--Beloyarsk (Zarechny, Sverdlovsk region) and Novovoronezh (Voronezh) stations.

1957

He was awarded Lenin Prize No. 1 in the sphere of science and technology.

1958

Headed creation of an Ogra plant at the Institute of Atomic Energy for studies in the sphere of controlled thermonuclear reactions. Headed preparation of reports of the Soviet delegation at the 2nd International Conference on Peaceful Utilization of Atomic Energy (Geneva, Switzerland).

1959

He was awarded Diploma and silver medal of the World Peace Council named after Frédéric Joliot-Curie for active participation in the fight for peace, for the ban of atomic and hydrogen weapons.

1960, February 7

He died at the age of 57.