He recounts a harrowing moment when Fermi raced successfully to get across a railroad track before being blocked by an oncoming train. What Fermi did not realize was that there was a second track, obscured by the first train, and on that track was a second train going in the other direction. They missed the second train by a matter of a few feet. Pulling off to the side of the road so that the two of them could recover from what must have been a heart-stopping near miss, Fermi turned to his young colleague to reassure him. “This is why it is very important for you to be with me; my time may be
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