The 1910s through 1930s were a golden age for physics. Breakthroughs came in rapid succession: general relativity, quantum physics, the invention of the particle accelerator and electron microscrope, the discovery of neutrons and antimatter. Germany was a notable hotbed for such advancements, and physicists Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen were all right in the middle of it making their own groundbreaking discoveries when the Nazis took power and forced them out of their academic positions.    Even though these four women were imminent in their fields, they had no choice but to flee due to their Jewish ancestry or anti-Nazi sentiments. In fact, their escape out of Germany became a life-or-death situation and required herculean efforts of friends, other prominent scientists, relief organizations, and each other. When they fled to America and elsewhere in Europe in an attempt to find sanctuary, these women brought their genius in a