In Trump's speech during Monday's inauguration ceremony, a long list of Americans was praised for historical achievements, such as ending slavery, making space travel possible, and the moment they "split the atom".
The latter prompted a strong reaction from Mayor Nick Smith in the small town of Nelson in New Zealand. He points out that the first atomic splitting was actually done by Ernest Rutherford, born in New Zealand.
"I was a little surprised by the new President Donald Trump in his inauguration speech claiming that Americans today 'split the atom' when the honor belongs to Nelson's most famous son – and favorite son – Sir Ernest Rutherford", writes Nick Smith on social media.
The splitting was done during experiments at Manchester University in the UK in 1917, notes Smith. He adds that he will invite the incoming US ambassador to New Zealand to visit a memorial site for Rutherford in Nelson "so that we can keep the historical record straight about who first split the atom correctly".
Rutherford has been called the "father of nuclear physics" and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908. He is still one of New Zealand's most famous people and appears, among other things, on the country's 100-dollar bill.
