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+---
+created: 2025-07-23
+updated: 2025-07-23
+title: Wernher von Braun
+tags:
+  - person
+  - scientist
+  - aerospace
+  - Engineer
+  - NASA
+---
+
+Wernher von Braun (1912–1977) was a German-American aerospace engineer and space architect, widely regarded as one of the fathers of rocket technology and space science in both [[Nazi Germany]] and the [[United States]]. He was the former chief scientist of the [[Apollo Program]] Moon program[^1].
+
+During [[World War II]], von Braun was a leading figure in Nazi Germany's rocket development program, responsible for the design and production of the V-2 rocket. After the war, he was secretly brought to the U.S. as part of [[Operation Paperclip]], where he became a pivotal figure in the American space program, eventually leading the development of the Saturn V rocket that propelled the Apollo missions to the Moon[^1].
+
+In 1972, von Braun met with [[Uri Geller]], a meeting arranged by [[Andrija Puharich]]. During this meeting, Geller asked von Braun to hold his gold wedding band in his clenched palm. Geller concentrated, and when von Braun opened his palm, the ring had been bent into an oval shape. Von Braun reportedly stated, "Uri Geller has bent my ring in the palm of my hand without ever touching it. Personally, I have no scientific explanation for it"[^1].
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+In a second incident, von Braun presented Geller with a non-working electronic pocket calculator. Geller held the machine and concentrated, and witnesses confirmed that the electronic panel inexplicably lit up. These incidents caught the attention of the [[Pentagon]], leading to a briefing on "Paranormal Phenomena—Briefing on a Net Assessment Study." The briefing noted the potential utility of [[Psychokinesis|psychokinesis]] (if feasible) in disrupting electrical systems, such as those associated with an [[Intercontinental Ballistic Missile|ICBM]]'s guidance program, as displayed by Geller[^1].
+
+## Footnotes
+[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.