Nancy Farley Wood facts for kids

Nancy Farley "Nan" Wood (born July 12, 1903 – died March 19, 2003) was an amazing physicist and businesswoman. She was a key member of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret project during World War II. Nan was also a lifelong feminist, meaning she believed in equal rights for women. She even helped start the Chicago branch of the National Organization for Women. As a business owner, she created and sold her own special tools that could find radiation.

Early Life and Education

Nan Wood was born Nancy Lee Farley on a farm in Missouri in 1903. She was the only daughter in her family. In 1928, she married John Curtis Wood, and they had six children together.

Nan started school in a one-room schoolhouse. Her family moved so she could go to college. She graduated from Warrensburg Teacher's College. After that, she taught high school mathematics and physics. Later, she earned a master's degree in education from the University of Chicago in 1927.

World War II and the Manhattan Project

Before and during World War II, Nan Wood taught calculus to U.S. Navy sailors in Chicago. Toward the end of the war, she was asked to join the Manhattan Project. This was a secret government project to develop the first atomic bomb.

In this project, Nan worked with John Alexander Simpson at the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory, also known as the Met Lab. Her job was to design and build special tools called radiation detectors. These tools could find and measure radiation.

N. Wood Counter Laboratory

In 1949, after the war, Nan Wood started her own company called N. Wood Counter Laboratory. Her company was in Chicago. It made and sold special tools that could detect different types of radiation, like gamma and neutron radiation.

Her customers were mostly research labs and universities. These places were working on using atomic energy for peaceful purposes. The N. Wood Counter Laboratory stayed in business for over 50 years! They made many kinds of detectors, including Geiger-Mueller detectors. In 1994, Nan sold the company to her daughter, Marjory Wood Crawford.

In 1957, during a big science event called the International Geophysical Year, Nan's neutron detectors were used all over the world to collect important data.

NASA Satellite Programs

NASA, the U.S. space agency, chose Nan Wood's company to provide detectors for their early polar orbiting satellites. Her company's gamma detectors were used in many famous NASA satellite missions, including:

• The Pioneer V mission.
• The Discoverer and Corona satellite missions.
• The Explorers program.
• The Mariner program.
• The Ranger program.

Feminism and Women’s Liberation

Nan Wood was a strong supporter of women's rights. She was a founding member of the Chicago branch of the National Organization for Women (NOW). NOW is a group that works for equal rights for women.

• In 1977, she was named "Woman of the Year" by Chicago NOW.
• She also served as the national secretary for NOW.
• She was the International Chairman for the Status of Women for Zonta International, another group that helps women.

Community Service

Nan Wood also cared about her community and the environment.

• She was a member of the Save the Dunes Council in Indiana, which helps protect natural areas.
• She was also a member of the Izaak Walton League, a group focused on conserving natural resources.
• She was a well-known businesswoman in the Hyde Park area of Chicago.