[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1118 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                        April 22, 2008.
Whereas John Archibald Wheeler was born July 9, 1911, in Jacksonville, Florida;
Whereas John Wheeler graduated from high school at age 15 and earned a Ph.D. in 
        physics from Johns Hopkins University at age 21;
Whereas Dr. Wheeler then moved to Copenhagen to work in the field of nuclear 
        physics with pioneering physicist Niels Bohr;
Whereas, while still in his 20s, Dr. Wheeler, then a Professor of Physics at 
        Princeton, along with Dr. Bohr in 1939 worked out the first explanation 
        of how the newly discovered nuclear fission actually worked;
Whereas Dr. Wheeler spent the war years at Hanford, Washington working on the 
        theoretical understanding of nuclear reactions that led to production of 
        plutonium for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki and later worked on the 
        development of the American hydrogen bomb under Project Matterhorn B;
Whereas Dr. Wheeler then returned to Princeton where, after discussion with 
        Albert Einstein, he switched from the study of nuclear physics to 
        working on extending the theory of general relativity, including in 1957 
        creating the concept of wormholes to describe tunnels in space-time and 
        in 1967 coining the term black hole as part of the theory of 
        gravitational collapse;
Whereas Dr. Wheeler was a visionary who could see farther on the horizon than 
        most people by way of his physical intuition;
Whereas Dr. Wheeler was a beloved academic who trained some of the best minds in 
        the next generation of physicists, a gifted communicator sometimes 
        called a physics poet, and an active researcher for over 70 years; and
Whereas Dr. Wheeler was, in the words of Dr. Max Texmark, the last Titan, the 
        only physics superhero still standing until the time of his death on 
        April 13, 2008: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the life and accomplishments of Professor John Archibald 
        Wheeler and expresses condolences on his passing; and
            (2) recognizes the profound importance of Dr. Wheeler's record as a 
        pioneer in nuclear and theoretical physics and a long-time contributor 
        to advancing mankind's understanding of the nature and workings of the 
        universe.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.