DENMARK 1913 - Danish physicist Niels Bohr had a major influence on molecular science, because he created the model for the atom, the building block of molecules. You probably knew this already. But what you probably don't know is HOW Niels came up with his model for the atom.

In the winter of 1913 Niels was visiting his daughter Agnes in Copenhagen, where she was celebrating her 20th birthday. There he met Johan, a guy from Holland. Agnes met Johan the previous summer during her backpacking trip through Europe. Jokingly, she had invited him for her birthday, never expecting him to actually show up.

But Johan showed up. He was a kind, naive, lighthearted and cheerful guy, with a very positive outlook on life (like most Dutch people). He was also a juggler, like many travelers who need something to keep them busy while waiting for a train, bus or police report.

Around 10 PM, one of Agnes' friends at her party - she had a little too much to drink - asked Johan if he wanted to demonstrate his juggling skills. "Sure", Johan said and took out his juggling balls. About eight friends, including Agnes, watched Johan juggle his balls.

Of course, Johan occasionally dropped a ball or two; it happens to the best. But the Danes, who hold themselves and others to very high standards, did not appreciate that.  They started making negative remarks like: "You suck!" ("Je socke!"), "Can't you do better than that?!" ("Kunde je nog slette makke?!") and "Don't give up your day job!". ("Ne godde idea werk upgaeve!').

Johan was not the least bit bothered. You see, the thing with the Danish language is this: No matter how hard a Dane is throwing insults at you, it always sounds very nice. For instance: ‘Mogge je stroentbekumpe,’ means ‘Eat shit’; But spoken by a Dane in Danish, it sound like soft music. Understandably, Johan was merely thinking his spectators were paying him compliments.

Niels was watching this scene from the living room couch, shaking his head, unamused and ‘bohred’ out of his skull. In his mind he was busy trying to figure out what an atom could look like. It was his life's quest to explain the instability of certain molecules. It had become a heavy load that he ‘bohr’ on his shoulders.

Then, at 10:08 PM, it suddenly struck him, figuratively and literally speaking. One of the balls from Johan's 4-ball juggling routine had landed into Niels' lap. When Niels looked up, he saw that Johan continued his juggling routine, but now with only 3 balls left...

Niels jumped up and screamed:"NU KLEAR!”
['nu klear' (pronounced: n~u^ kl@:e&r), literally translated from Danish into English means: 'now clear').

Obviously this was an epic moment for Niels, for science. And from that moment on, Niels declared himself a NUKLEAR scientist.

The very next day, on December 7, 1913, Niels worked out a model for the atom that would explain many, if not all molecular and atomic phenomena.

Experts assume that the juggler with the positive mindset, surrounded by a negative party crowd, inspired Niels to assign positive charges to particles in the core of the atom (protons) and negative charges to the particles circling the core (electrons). The instability of an atom was finally explained by Niels through the tendency of certain electrons (juggling ball landing in his lap) to leave or join the atom and thereby changing its properties.

Niels Bohr's model for the atom does not explain why people from Denmark are so adorable, no matter what they do or say.