George de Hevesy was born in Budapest on 1 August 1885, the son of Court Councillor Louis de Hevesy and his wife Baronesse Eugeny Schosberger. His father was the general manager of a mining company and supervised the farms belonging to his mother. His father was an enthusiastic shot and while George was staying on his grandfather’s estate, which had extensive shooting areas he often got up at 3 a.m. to shoot stags. The neighbouring estate of 60 000 acres was Hungarian state property reserved as a shooting area to Emperor and King Francis Joseph. His father was often invited to participate in the Emperor’s shooting parties but George was only permitted to shoot occasionally, such things as hares, pheasants or partridges (not, however, stags) in the Emperor’s absence. Hevesy attended the school of the Holy Order of Joseph of Calazanc (Piarist) in Budapest, and studied chiefly mathematics and physics. He attended the University of Budapest for a year, and then as he had made up his mind to become a chemical engineer, he joined the Technical High School in Berlin. A few months after having started his studies in Berlin he contracted pneumonia and was advised to spend the summer term in one of the ‘summer universities’ with a more wholesome climate. He chose Freiburg where several of his brothers had studied law previously. In April 1905 he moved to Freiburg with the intention of spending a term there. This move became in fact the start of an almost lifelong association with that university where he spent, partly as a student, partly as a professor, some of the best years of his life. His early interest in Ernst Mach’s works induced him to attend some of the philosophy courses. He heard also the lectures of the ‘aged, great biologist’, August Weissmann. His main interest, however, was concentrated on chemistry and physics.