Editing Enrico Fermi (section)

== Early life ==
[[File:BirthHouseOfEnricoFermi01.jpg|thumb|Fermi was born in Rome at [[Via Gaeta]] 19.]]
[[File:Enrico Fermi birthplace plaque.jpg|thumb|Plaque at Fermi's birthplace]]

Enrico Fermi was born in Rome, Italy, on 29 September 1901.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Portale Antenati |url=https://antenati.cultura.gov.it/ark:/12657/an_ua19794170/5xZQ9bW/ |access-date=23 May 2023 |website=Portale Antenati |language=it-IT}}</ref> He was the third child of Alberto Fermi, a division head in the Ministry of Railways, and Ida de Gattis, an elementary school teacher.<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Segrè|1970|pp=3–4, 8}}{{sfn|Amaldi|2001|p=23}} His sister, Maria, was two years older, his brother Giulio a year older. After the two boys were sent to a rural community to be [[wet nurse]]d, Enrico rejoined his family in Rome when he was two and a half.{{sfn|Cooper|1999|p=19}} Although he was baptized a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] in accordance with his grandparents' wishes, his family was not particularly religious; Enrico was an [[agnostic]] throughout his adult life.<ref name="Laura Fermi">{{cite book |author1=Laura Fermi |title=Atoms in the Family: My Life with Enrico Fermi |date=24 October 2014 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=9780226149653 |page=52}}</ref> As a young boy, he shared the same interests as his brother Giulio, building [[electric motor]]s and playing with electrical and mechanical toys.{{sfn|Segrè|1970|pp=5–6}} Giulio died during an operation on a throat [[abscess]] in 1915{{sfn|Fermi|1954|pp=15–16}} and Maria died in [[TWA Flight 891|an airplane crash]] near [[Milan]] in 1959.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olgiateolona26giugno1959.org/10_lives/Sac.html |title=Maria Fermi Sacchetti (1899–1959) |website=www.OlgiateOlona26giugno1959.org |access-date=6 May 2017 |language=it |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830153427/http://www.olgiateolona26giugno1959.org/10_lives/Sac.html |archive-date=30 August 2017 }}</ref>

At a local market in [[Campo de' Fiori]], Fermi found a physics book, the 900-page ''Elementorum physicae mathematicae''. Written in Latin by [[Jesuit]] Father {{ill|Andrea Caraffa|it}}, a professor at the [[Collegio Romano]], it presented [[mathematics]], [[classical mechanics]], [[astronomy]], [[optics]], and [[acoustics]] as they were understood at the time of its 1840 publication.{{sfn|Segrè|1970|p=7}}{{sfn|Bonolis|2001|p=315}} With a scientifically inclined friend, [[Enrico Persico]],{{sfn|Amaldi|2001|p=24}} Fermi pursued projects such as building [[gyroscope]]s and measuring the acceleration of [[Earth's gravity]].{{sfn|Segrè|1970|pp=11–12}}

In 1914, Fermi, who used to often meet with his father in front of the office after work, met a colleague of his father called Adolfo Amidei, who would walk part of the way home with Alberto. Enrico had learned that Adolfo was interested in mathematics and physics and took the opportunity to ask Adolfo a question about geometry. Adolfo understood that the young Fermi was referring to [[projective geometry]] and then proceeded to give him a book on the subject written by [[Theodor Reye]]. Two months later, Fermi returned the book, having solved all the problems proposed at the end of the book, some of which Adolfo considered difficult. Upon verifying this, Adolfo felt that Fermi was "a prodigy, at least with respect to geometry", and further mentored the boy, providing him with more books on physics and mathematics. Adolfo noted that Fermi had a very good memory and thus could return the books after having read them because he could remember their content very well.{{sfn|Segrè|1970|pp=8–10}}