Feynman Anecdotes -

Four fun anecdotes.

Los Alamos Secuurity: During World War II, while working on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, he had fun with the top secret environment. There was a hole in the fence he got through it and eluded the. sentries to get around to the main entrance where he presented his identification and got through the elaborate entrance procedure. Then he went back and did it again and again. So he got recorded as having entered repeatedly without ever leaving.

He became intrigued by the safes used to store classified documents. He noticed that many scientists were paranoid about security, often forgetting their combinations. Feynman decided to see if he could crack the safes, and after some experimentation, he successfully opened several of them using simple listening techniques and a bit of intuition.

The Safe at Caltech: Later in his career at Caltech, Feynman became fascinated by the university’s secure safe containing valuable items and documents. He challenged himself to open it without the combination. After observing the mechanics and understanding how the locking mechanism worked, he managed to open it, much to the amazement of his colleagues. He took great pleasure in demonstrating his skills, often sharing the story as an example of how curiosity and hands-on problem-solving could lead to unexpected results.

A Bet with Colleagues: In another instance, Feynman made a bet with some colleagues about his ability to crack a safe. They were skeptical, thinking it would be impossible. Feynman, ever confident, accepted the challenge and quickly went to work. Using his skills in physics and a keen understanding of mechanics, he opened the safe within a few hours, leaving his colleagues astounded.

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