PALERMO — 1938 · Missing Person
The Disappearance of Ettore Majorana
Ettore Majorana, a brilliant 31-year-old physicist who had worked in Enrico Fermi's group, vanished without trace on 25 March 1938, shortly after becoming professor of theoretical physics at the University of Naples, having bought a ticket for a ship from Palermo to Naples. Before disappearing he had withdrawn the money from his bank account and written to his institute's director that he had taken a decision that had become unavoidable. Theories of suicide, retreat to a monastery, kidnapping and emigration were debated for decades. Rome prosecutors reopened the file in 2011, and in February 2015 concluded that he had lived in Venezuela between 1955 and 1959 under another surname, asking for the case to be closed as no crime had occurred.
- Date
- 1938
- Place
- Palermo-Naples route, Italy, Palermo, IT
- Category
- Missing Person
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 38.1200, 13.3600 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 25 March 1938Majorana vanished after the Palermo-Naples crossing.
- March 2011Rome prosecutors reopened the file.
- 4 February 2015Prosecutors concluded he had lived in Venezuela and sought closure of the case.
Sources
- la Repubblica — Ettore Majorana, la procura di Roma: era vivo tra il '55 e il '59 repubblica.it ↗
- Corriere della Sera — Procura: Ettore Majorana vivo in Venezuela tra il 1955 e il 1959 roma.corriere.it ↗
- Wikipedia — Ettore Majorana en.wikipedia.org ↗
- la Repubblica
- Corriere della Sera
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.