Max von Laue distinguished himself early in his career with the discovery of x-ray diffraction, a process that is now used to examine the structure of crystals and has been widely used in the research of proteins and other organic substances. The experiment also proved the wavelength of x rays. Albert Einstein viewed Laue's work as one of the greatest discoveries in physics. Laue was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1914, at the age of 35. He subsequently enjoyed a long career, distinguished not only by his contributions to physics but also by his willingness to oppose the Nazi regime in his native Germany.

Laue was born on October 9, 1879, in Pfaffendorf, Germany, near Koblenz, to Julius Laue, a civil official of the Prussian military court system, and the former Minna Zerrenner. The family name was changed to von Laue when his father was raised to hereditary nobility in...