Haber

Fritz Shimon Haber was one of Germany's leading chemists at the onset of World War I. His Nobel Prize-winning development of synthetic fertilizers played a crucial role in preventing widespread famine. However, as the war escalated and Germany faced heavy casualties, the military sought Haber's expertise to develop a new type of weapon. Haber, who had previously renounced his Jewish identity to be accepted as a German citizen, agreed to lead the project. His work resulted in the first large-scale use of chemical weapons in warfare, marking him as the first scientist to deploy a weapon of mass destruction. His personal and professional life later suffered severe consequences: his wife, Clara, committed suicide, and his invention was later used in the mass extermination of Jews during World War II.