TIL that in 1950, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, synthesized a highly radioactive element by bombarding curium-242 with alpha particles. They named this new element "Californium" and its discovery was initially kept classified due to its potential military uses.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by theID10T t3_11u107i in todayilearned
picado t1_jcluj2s wrote
That's just one of 16 elements they've discovered:
https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/new-elements-here.html
The cyclotron was originally invented at Berkeley and that led to them being the top laboratory for this research.