“Annuncio vobis gaudium maximum, papam habemus.” To the bewildered group, John von Neumann, Ulam’s brilliant Hungarian colleague who played a central role at Los Alamos over the next few years, translated the Latin used by the church to announce the election of a new pope: “I announce to you with greatest joy that we have a new Pope.” The group knew of Fermi’s nickname in Rome and burst into applause. They had been looking forward to Fermi’s arrival and loved Ulam’s allusion.
