Advertisement
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Making of the Atomic Bomb Richard Rhodes, 1988 |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Making of the Atomic Bomb Richard Rhodes, 2012-06-12 **Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award** The definitive history of nuclear weapons—from the turn-of-the-century discovery of nuclear energy to J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project—this epic work details the science, the people, and the sociopolitical realities that led to the development of the atomic bomb. This sweeping account begins in the 19th century, with the discovery of nuclear fission, and continues to World War Two and the Americans’ race to beat Hitler’s Nazis. That competition launched the Manhattan Project and the nearly overnight construction of a vast military-industrial complex that culminated in the fateful dropping of the first bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Reading like a character-driven suspense novel, the book introduces the players in this saga of physics, politics, and human psychology—from FDR and Einstein to the visionary scientists who pioneered quantum theory and the application of thermonuclear fission, including Planck, Szilard, Bohr, Oppenheimer, Fermi, Teller, Meitner, von Neumann, and Lawrence. From nuclear power’s earliest foreshadowing in the work of H.G. Wells to the bright glare of Trinity at Alamogordo and the arms race of the Cold War, this dread invention forever changed the course of human history, and The Making of The Atomic Bomb provides a panoramic backdrop for that story. Richard Rhodes’s ability to craft compelling biographical portraits is matched only by his rigorous scholarship. Told in rich human, political, and scientific detail that any reader can follow, The Making of the Atomic Bomb is a thought-provoking and masterful work. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Dark Sun Richard Rhodes, 2012-09-18 Here, for the first time, in a brilliant, panoramic portrait by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, is the definitive, often shocking story of the politics and the science behind the development of the hydrogen bomb and the birth of the Cold War. Based on secret files in the United States and the former Soviet Union, this monumental work of history discloses how and why the United States decided to create the bomb that would dominate world politics for more than forty years. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Twilight of the Bombs Richard Rhodes, 2010-08-24 The culminating volume in Richard Rhodes’s monumental and prizewinning history of nuclear weapons, offering the first comprehensive narrative of the challenges faced in a post–Cold War age. The past twenty years have transformed our relationship with nuclear weapons drastically. With extraordinary depth of knowledge and understanding, Rhodes makes clear how the five original nuclear powers—Russia, Great Britain, France, China, and especially the United States—have struggled with new realities. He shows us how the stage was set for a second tragic war when Iraq secretly destroyed its nuclear infrastructure and reveals the real reasons George W. Bush chose to fight a second war in Iraq. We see how the efforts of U.S. weapons labs laid the groundwork for nuclear consolidation in the former Soviet Union, how and why South Africa secretly built and then destroyed a small nuclear arsenal, and how Jimmy Carter’s private diplomacy prevented another Korean War. We also see how the present day represents a nuclear turning point and what hope exists for our future. Rhodes assesses the emerging threat of nuclear terrorism and offers advice on how our complicated relationships with North Korea and South Asia should evolve. Finally, he imagines what a post-nuclear world might look like, suggesting what might make it possible. Powerful and persuasive, The Twilight of the Bombs is an essential work of contemporary history. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Manhattan Project Cynthia C. Kelly, 2020-07-07 On the seventy-fifth anniversary of the first atomic bomb, discover new reflections on the Manhattan Project from President Barack Obama, hibakusha (survivors), and the modern-day mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The creation of the atomic bomb during World War II, codenamed the Manhattan Project, was one of the most significant and clandestine scientific undertakings of the 20th century. It forever changed the nature of war and cast a shadow over civilization. Born out of a small research program that began in 1939, the Manhattan Project would eventually employ nearly 600,000 people and cost about $2 billon ($28.5 billion in 2020) -- all while operating under a shroud of complete secrecy. On the 75th anniversary of this profoundly crucial moment in history, this newest edition of The Manhattan Project is updated with writings and reflections from the past decade and a half. This groundbreaking collection of essays, articles, documents, and excerpts from histories, biographies, plays, novels, letters, and oral histories remains the most comprehensive collection of primary source material of the atomic bomb. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Arsenals of Folly Richard Rhodes, 2008-11-04 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes delivers a riveting account of the nuclear arms race and the Cold War. In the Reagan-Gorbachev era, the United States and the Soviet Union came within minutes of nuclear war, until Gorbachev boldly launched a campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons, setting the stage for the 1986 Reykjavik summit and the incredible events that followed. In this thrilling, authoritative narrative, Richard Rhodes draws on personal interviews with both Soviet and U.S. participants and a wealth of new documentation to unravel the compelling, shocking story behind this monumental time in human history—its beginnings, its nearly chilling consequences, and its effects on global politics today. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Making of the Atomic Bomb Richard Rhodes, 1986 Details the making of the atomic bomb. Includes diagrams and pictures documenting people and places. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Manhattan Project: The Untold Story of the Making of the Atomic Bomb Stephane Groueff, 2023-12-13 “Groueff, a Paris-Match reporter, was sponsored by The Reader’s Digest to write this prodigious account of the multiple efforts which went into the creation of the first atomic bomb between 1942 and 1945. The book is a history of the men involved, mainly; and Groves, the military commander, is obviously the author’s hero. Reading like the account of a hurdle race, the book charges into a discussion of a problem, then ‘finds’ and describes the man who bested it. Thus are described the building of Oak Ridge, Fermi’s atomic pile, the electromagnetic process, the crises over the barrier and the valves for the gaseous diffusion process, the last-minute decisions concerning the implosion process with plutonium. Groueff does convey well a scene of fantastic activity, where different solutions to one problem were worked on simultaneously, where industrial equipment came before scientific results were known, where the ‘impossible’ was achieved — in time. The material is fascinating, and the scientific information is well presented... [an] excellent overall view of a monumental project.” — Kirkus “Groueff has for the first time given due recognition to some of the minor figures, particularly engineers and technicians, and has preserved in his pages much information that would otherwise perish with the participants or lie forever buried in the archives.” — Kendall Birr, The American Historical Review “Groueff... covers the Manhattan Project from its beginning in 1942 to the bombing of Hiroshima... [he] concentrates on the engineering and industrial effort that went into producing the first atomic weapons... The result is a popular but responsible account, episodic in structure, rich in detail and human interest... for the first time a book aimed at the mass market gives engineers and industrialists their due. It is a great story of the almost incredibly complex task of translating theory into industrial and military reality.” — Oscar E. Anderson, Jr., Science “So intriguing in fact and in style is the text of the narrative of this book that, once begun, it cannot be put down until the end... In these pages the names and roles of some of the world’s greatest scientists and engineers unfold in thrilling parade, with Dr. Vannevar Bush the leader. These men of vast knowledge and ability unite with the commercial managers and their companies mobilized by the hundreds for the construction and operation of the many facilities involved.” — Leo A. Codd, Ordnance “Excellent... maintains a high degree of exciting suspense.” — Washington Star “A fascinating account of a stupendous effort.” — Chicago Tribune |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Nuclear Renewal Richard Rhodes, 1993 Rhodes posits that nuclear power affords the safest, cheapest, and cleanest energy available. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Manhattan Project Al Cimino, 2015-07-14 The ramifications of the Manhattan Project are still with us to this day. The atomic bombs that came out of it brought an end to the war in the Pacific, but at a heavy loss of life in Japan and the opening of a Pandora's box that has tested international relations. This book traces the history of the Manhattan Project, from the first glimmerings of the possibility of such a catastrophic weapon to the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It profiles the architects of the bomb and how they tried to reconcile their personal feelings with their ambition as scientists. It looks at the role of the politicians and it includes first-hand accounts of those who experienced the effects of the bombings. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Why They Kill Richard Rhodes, 2000-10-10 Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, brings his inimitable vision, exhaustive research, and mesmerizing prose to this timely book that dissects violence and offers new solutions to the age old problem of why people kill. Lonnie Athens was raised by a brutally domineering father. Defying all odds, Athens became a groundbreaking criminologist who turned his scholar's eye to the problem of why people become violent. After a decade of interviewing several hundred violent convicts--men and women of varied background and ethnicity, he discovered violentization, the four-stage process by which almost any human being can evolve into someone who will assault, rape, or murder another human being. Why They Kill is a riveting biography of Athens and a judicious critique of his seminal work, as well as an unflinching investigation into the history of violence. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Scientist Richard Rhodes, 2023-10-17 A masterful and timely biography of the hugely influential biologist and naturalist E. O. Wilson, one of the most ground-breaking and controversial scientists of our time—from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb Few biologists have been as productive, ground-breaking, or controversial as Edward Osborne Wilson. At 92 years old, he may be the most eminent American scientist in any field today. Fascinated from an early age by the natural world in general and ants in particular, his field work on them and on all social insects has vastly expanded our knowledge of their many species and fascinating ways of being. This work led to his 1975 book Sociobiology, which created an intellectual firestorm with his contention that all animal behavior, including that of humans, is governed by the laws of evolution and genetics. Wilson has since become a leading voice on the crucial importance of biodiversity and has worked tirelessly to synthesize science and the humanities in a fruitful way. A towering figure in his own right, Richard Rhodes has had complete and unfettered access to Wilson, his associates, and his papers in writing this book. The result is one of the most accomplished, anticipated and urgently necessary scientific biographies in years. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Quartet for J. Robert Oppenheimer Kelly Cherry, 2017-02 “Robert Oppenheimer was a complex human being. No biography yet written comes even close to this elegant skein of poems in capturing his life and character.”—Richard Rhodes, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Making of the Atomic Bomb Quartet for J. Robert Oppenheimer records in poetry the life and times of one of America’s best-known scientists, the father of the atomic bomb who later lobbied for containment of nuclear weaponry. In brief, elegant stanzas, Kelly Cherry examines Oppenheimer’s inspirations, dreams, and values, visiting the events, places, and people that inspired him or led him to despair. She finds his place among scientists of his own time, such as Alan Turing and Albert Einstein, as well as his connections with historical and mythological figures from John Donne to Persephone. “Of course he had blood on his hands. Who did not?” says Cherry, in “The Nature of War.” Again and again in the course of this remarkable poem, Cherry’s narration of Oppenheimer’s life compels her readers to contemplate the vagaries of science, guilt, and our responsibilities to each other. “Quartet for J. Robert Oppenheimer is a book length poem in which the architect of the atom bomb comes to embody America and the West’s Faustian control of nature and the paradoxical helplessness and guilt which that control entailed. Oppenheim is marvelous, complicated, flawed and admirable character, and these poems read like chapters in a novel without in any way abandoning the intensities of feeling and image or delight in language we associate with lyric poetry. A terrific achievement and a compelling read.”—Alan Shapiro, author of Life Pig and Reel to Reel |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, 2012 An illustrated history of the making of the atomic bomb. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos Dennis Overbye, 2021-12-21 Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award: the intensely exciting story of a group of brilliant scientists who set out to answer the deepest questions about the origin of the universe and changed the course of physics and astronomy forever (Newsday). In southern California, nearly a half century ago, a small band of researchers — equipped with a new 200-inch telescope and a faith born of scientific optimism — embarked on the greatest intellectual adventure in the history of humankind: the search for the origin and fate of the universe. Their quest would eventually engulf all of physics and astronomy, leading not only to the discovery of quasars, black holes, and shadow matter but also to fame, controversy, and Nobel Prizes. Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos tells the story of the men and women who have taken eternity on their shoulders and stormed nature in search of answers to the deepest questions we know to ask. Written with such wit and verve that it is hard not to zip through in one sitting. —Washington Post |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Building The H Bomb: A Personal History Kenneth W Ford, 2015-03-25 In this engaging scientific memoir, Kenneth Ford recounts the time when, in his mid-twenties, he was a member of the team that designed and built the first hydrogen bomb. He worked with — and relaxed with — scientific giants of that time such as Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi, Stan Ulam, John von Neumann, and John Wheeler, and here offers illuminating insights into the personalities, the strengths, and the quirks of these men. Well known for his ability to explain physics to nonspecialists, Ford also brings to life the physics of fission and fusion and provides a brief history of nuclear science from the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 to the ten-megaton explosion of “Mike” that obliterated a Pacific Island in 1952.Ford worked at both Los Alamos and Princeton's Project Matterhorn, and brings out Matterhorn's major, but previously unheralded contribution to the development of the H bomb. Outside the lab, he drove a battered Chevrolet around New Mexico, a bantam motorcycle across the country, and a British roadster around New Jersey. Part of the charm of Ford's book is the way in which he leavens his well-researched descriptions of the scientific work with brief tales of his life away from weapons. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Pandora's Keepers Brian Van DeMark, 2003-06-01 The author of Road to Disaster“[examines] the thoughts, feelings, and judgments of these nine men who created the first weapon of mass destruction” (The Boston Globe). There were nine of them—Oppenheimer, Teller, Fermi, Bohr, Lawrence, Bethe, Rabi, Szilard, and Compton—men who believed in science and who saw before anyone else did the awesome workings of an invisible world. They came from many places, some fleeing Nazism in Europe, others quietly slipping out of university teaching jobs, all gathering in secret wartime laboratories to create the world’s first atomic bomb. At one such place hidden away in the mountains of northern New Mexico—Los Alamos—they would crack the secret of the nuclear chain reaction and construct a device that incinerated a city and melted its victims so thoroughly that the only thing left was their scorched outlines on the sidewalks. During the war, few of the atomic scientists questioned the wisdom of their desperate endeavor. But afterward, they were forced to deal with the sobering legacy of their creation. Some were haunted by the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and would become anti-nuclear weapons activists; others would go on to build bigger and even deadlier bombs. Some would remain friends; others would become bitter rivals and enemies. In explaining their lives and their struggles, Brian VanDeMark superbly illuminates the ways in which these brilliant and sensitive men came to terms with their horrific creation. The result is spectacular history and a moral investigation of the highest order. “Depicts the friendships forged among the fascinating and sometimes perturbing scientists as they struggled to come to grips with the implications of making the annihilating weapon.” —Booklist (starred review) “A welcome addition to the literature of the atomic age.” —Kirkus Reviews |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Hiroshima in History and Memory Michael J. Hogan, 1996-03-29 This collection of essays surveys the Hiroshima story. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: How to Write Richard Rhodes, 1995 al guide to writing for pleasure or profit. Rhodes offers not only a guide to better writing but a collection of vignettes about the things which inspire one of the most original writers of our day. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Brotherhood of the Bomb Gregg Herken, 2013-08-13 “The scientists who made the nuclear bomb are the focus of this detailed, engrossing history of one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century.” —Publishers Weekly The story of the twentieth century is largely the story of the power of science and technology. Within that story is the incredible tale of the human conflict between Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller—the scientists most responsible for the advent of weapons of mass destruction. The story of these three men, builders of the atomic and hydrogen bombs, is fundamentally about loyalty—to country, to science, and to each other—and about the wrenching choices that had to be made when these allegiances came into conflict. In Brotherhood of the Bomb, Gregg Herken gives us the behind-the-scenes account based upon a decade of research, interviews, and newly released Freedom of Information Act and Russian documents. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Manhattan Project Francis Gosling, U.s. Department of Energy, 2015-08-15 In a national survey at the turn of the millennium, journalists and historians ranked the dropping of the atomic bomb and the surrender of Japan to end the Second World War as the top story of the twentieth century. The advent of nuclear weapons, brought about by the Manhattan Project, not only helped bring an end to World War II but ushered in the atomic age and determined how the next war-the Cold War-would be fought. The Manhattan Project also became the organizational model behind the impressive achievements of American big science during the second half of the twentieth century, which demonstrated the relationship between basic scientific research and national security. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project Cynthia C. Kelly, 2006 2004 marked the centennial of the birth of J Robert Oppenheimer, and brought historians and scholars, former students, nuclear physicists, and politicians together to celebrate this event. Oppenheimer's life and work became central to 20th century history as he spearheaded the development of the atomic bomb that ended World War II. This book provides a spectrum of interpretations of Oppenheimer's life and scientific achievements. It approaches the extraordinary scientist and teacher from many perspectives, chronicling the years from his boyhood through his role as director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory and afterwards. The book also discusses Oppenheimer's connection to New Mexico, which hosted two of the Manhattan Project's most crucial sites, and addresses his lasting impact on contemporary science, international politics, and the postwar age. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age Steve Olson, 2020-07-28 A thrilling narrative of scientific triumph, decades of secrecy, and the unimaginable destruction wrought by the creation of the atomic bomb. It began with plutonium, the first element ever manufactured in quantity by humans. Fearing that the Germans would be the first to weaponize the atom, the United States marshaled brilliant minds and seemingly inexhaustible bodies to find a way to create a nuclear chain reaction of inconceivable explosive power. In a matter of months, the Hanford nuclear facility was built to produce and weaponize the enigmatic and deadly new material that would fuel atomic bombs. In the desert of eastern Washington State, far from prying eyes, scientists Glenn Seaborg, Enrico Fermi, and many thousands of others—the physicists, engineers, laborers, and support staff at the facility—manufactured plutonium for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, and for the bombs in the current American nuclear arsenal, enabling the construction of weapons with the potential to end human civilization. With his characteristic blend of scientific clarity and storytelling, Steve Olson asks why Hanford has been largely overlooked in histories of the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Olson, who grew up just twenty miles from Hanford’s B Reactor, recounts how a small Washington town played host to some of the most influential scientists and engineers in American history as they sought to create the substance at the core of the most destructive weapons ever created. The Apocalypse Factory offers a new generation this dramatic story of human achievement and, ultimately, of lethal hubris. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: John James Audubon Richard Rhodes, 2004-10-05 John James Audubon came to America as a dapper eighteen-year-old eager to make his fortune. He had a talent for drawing and an interest in birds, and he would spend the next thirty-five years traveling to the remotest regions of his new country–often alone and on foot–to render his avian subjects on paper. The works of art he created gave the world its idea of America. They gave America its idea of itself. Here Richard Rhodes vividly depicts Audubon’s life and career: his epic wanderings; his quest to portray birds in a lifelike way; his long, anguished separations from his adored wife; his ambivalent witness to the vanishing of the wilderness. John James Audubon: The Making of an American is a magnificent achievement. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Los Alamos Primer Robert Serber, 2020 More than seventy years ago, American forces exploded the first atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing great physical and human destruction. The young scientists at Los Alamos who developed the bombs, which were nicknamed Little Boy and Fat Man, were introduced to the basic principles and goals of the project in March 1943, at a crash course in new weapons technology. The lecturer was physicist Robert Serber, J. Robert Oppenheimer's protégé, and the scientists learned that their job was to design and build the world's first atomic bombs. Notes on Serber's lectures were gathered into a mimeographed document titled TheLos Alamos Primer, which was supplied to all incoming scientific staff. The Primer remained classified for decades after the war. Published for the first time in 1992, the Primer offers contemporary readers a better understanding of the origins of nuclear weapons. Serber's preface vividly conveys the mingled excitement, uncertainty, and intensity felt by the Manhattan Project scientists. This edition includes an updated introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Richard Rhodes. A seminal publication on a turning point in human history, The Los Alamos Primer reveals just how much was known and how terrifyingly much was unknown midway through the Manhattan Project. No other seminar anywhere has had greater historical consequences. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Almighty Dan Zak, 2016-07-12 **A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2016** ON A TRANQUIL SUMMER NIGHT in July 2012, a trio of peace activists infiltrated the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Nicknamed the “Fort Knox of Uranium,” Y-12 was supposedly one of the most secure sites in the world, a bastion of warhead parts and hundreds of tons of highly enriched uranium—enough to power thousands of nuclear bombs. The three activists—a house painter, a Vietnam War veteran, and an 82-year-old Catholic nun—penetrated the complex’s exterior with alarming ease; their strongest tools were two pairs of bolt cutters and three hammers. Once inside, these pacifists hung protest banners, spray-painted biblical messages, and streaked the walls with human blood. Then they waited to be arrested. WITH THE BREAK-IN and their symbolic actions, the activists hoped to draw attention to a costly military-industrial complex that stockpiles deadly nukes. But they also triggered a political and legal firestorm of urgent and troubling questions. What if they had been terrorists? Why do the United States and Russia continue to possess enough nuclear weaponry to destroy the world several times over? IN ALMIGHTY, WASHINGTON POST REPORTER Dan Zak answers these questions by reexamining America’s love-hate relationship to the bomb, from the race to achieve atomic power before the Nazis did to the solemn 70th anniversary of Hiroshima. At a time of concern about proliferation in such nations as Iran and North Korea, the U.S. arsenal is plagued by its own security problems. This life-or-death quandary is unraveled in Zak’s eye-opening account, with a cast that includes the biophysicist who first educated the public on atomic energy, the prophet who predicted the creation of Oak Ridge, the generations of activists propelled into resistance by their faith, and the Washington bureaucrats and diplomats who are trying to keep the world safe. Part historical adventure, part courtroom drama, part moral thriller, Almighty reshapes the accepted narratives surrounding nuclear weapons and shows that our greatest modern-day threat remains a power we discovered long ago. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Genius in the Shadows William Lanouette, 2013-09-01 Well-known names such as Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Edward Teller are usually those that surround the creation of the atom bomb. One name that is rarely mentioned is Leo Szilard, known in scientific circles as “father of the atom bomb.” The man who first developed the idea of harnessing energy from nuclear chain reactions, he is curiously buried with barely a trace in the history of this well-known and controversial topic. Born in Hungary and educated in Berlin, he escaped Hitler’s Germany in 1933 and that first year developed his concept of nuclear chain reactions. In order to prevent Nazi scientists from stealing his ideas, he kept his theories secret, until he and Albert Einstein pressed the US government to research atomic reactions and designed the first nuclear reactor. Though he started his career out lobbying for civilian control of atomic energy, he concluded it with founding, in 1962, the first political action committee for arms control, the Council for a Livable World. Besides his career in atomic energy, he also studied biology and sparked ideas that won others the Nobel Prize. The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, where Szilard spent his final days, was developed from his concepts to blend science and social issues. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Atomic Bomb and the Origins of the Cold War Campbell Craig, Sergey Radchenko, 2008-08-28 A study of nuclear warfare’s key role in triggering the post-World War II confrontation between the US and the USSR After a devastating world war, culminating in the obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was clear that the United States and the Soviet Union had to establish a cooperative order if the planet was to escape an atomic World War III. In this provocative study, Campbell Craig and Sergey Radchenko show how the atomic bomb pushed the United States and the Soviet Union not toward cooperation but toward deep bipolar confrontation. Joseph Stalin, sure that the Americans meant to deploy their new weapon against Russia and defeat socialism, would stop at nothing to build his own bomb. Harry Truman, initially willing to consider cooperation, discovered that its pursuit would mean political suicide, especially when news of Soviet atomic spies reached the public. Both superpowers, moreover, discerned a new reality of the atomic age: now, cooperation must be total. The dangers posed by the bomb meant that intermediate measures of international cooperation would protect no one. Yet no two nations in history were less prepared to pursue total cooperation than were the United States and the Soviet Union. The logic of the bomb pointed them toward immediate Cold War. “Sprightly and well-argued…. The complicated history of how the bomb influenced the start of the war has never been explored so well.—Lloyd Gardner, Rutgers University “An outstanding new interpretation of the origins of the Cold War that gives equal weight to American and Soviet perspectives on the conflict that shaped the contemporary world.”—Geoffrey Roberts, author of Stalin’s Wars |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Making of the Indian Atomic Bomb Itty Abraham, 1998-09 In 1974 India exploded an atomic device. In May 1998 the new BJP government exploded several more, encountering in the process domestic plaudits, but international condemnation and a nuclear arms race in south Asia. This book provides an historical account of the development of nuclear power in India and of how the bomb came to be made. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Voice of the Dolphins and Other Stories Leo Szilard, 1992 First published in 1961, this collection of playful and provocative stories by the eminent physicist is returned to print with an additional story and a new introduction. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Star Warriors William J Broad, 1986-10-15 SCOTT (Copy 1): From the John Holmes Library collection. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Farm Richard Rhodes, 2012-10-09 Pulitzer Prize winning author, Richard Rhodes’s year-long journey into the heart of American agriculture reveals a life trapped between two eras: the modern and the traditional, the future and the past. Richly textured and deeply moving, Farm chronicles a year in the life of Tom and Sally Bauer of Crevecoeur County, Missouri, who cultivate nearly two square miles of the surface of the earth. They struggle to build up their farm, harvesting corn, birthing calves, planting wheat, coping with the vagaries of nature and government regulations. Required of them are ancient skills (an attunement to the weather, animals, crops, and land) as well as a mastery of modern technology, from high-tech machinery to genetics and sophisticated chemicals. Written with honesty and insight, Farm is a revelatory exploration of farm life in the 20th century and the joys and challenges of the modern rural landscape. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Critical Assembly Lillian Hoddeson, Paul W. Henriksen, Roger A. Meade, 2004-02-12 This 1993 book explores how the 'critical assembly' of scientists at Los Alamos created the first atomic bombs. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Highway of the Atom Peter van Wyck, 2010-10-22 A subarctic mine on the far eastern shores of Great Bear Lake provided Canadian uranium for the bombs detonated over Japan in August 1945. However, a complete history of Canada's involvement in the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb has been thwarted by restrictions on classified documents. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: The Girls of Atomic City Denise Kiernan, 2014-03-11 This is the story of the young women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who unwittingly played a crucial role in one of the most significant moments in U.S. history. The Tennessee town of Oak Ridge was created from scratch in 1942. One of the Manhattan Project's secret cities. All knew something big was happening at Oak Ridge, but few could piece together the true nature of their work until the bomb Little Boy was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, and the secret was out. The reverberations from their work there, work they did not fully understand at the time, are still being felt today. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Summary of Richard Rhodes’s The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Milkyway Media Milkyway Media, 2018-09-06 Richard Rhodes’s 1986 Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Making of the Atomic Bomb narrates the years preceding the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. It focuses on how a group of international physicists uncovered nature’s potential for destruction through advances in nuclear physics and quantum theory. They harnessed the power of physics to develop the first atomic bombs... Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Picturing the Bomb Rachel Fermi, Esther Samra, 1995 The compelling photographs from the Manhattan Project, by turns specific, abstract, dramatic, and surreal, offer a multifaceted look at history. Photographs of landscapes and of construction, of scientific experiments and their results, are framed against official portraits and casual snapshots. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: Atomic Accidents James A. Mahaffey, 2014 A gripping narrative of nuclear mishaps and meltdowns around the globe, all of which have proven pivotal to the advancement of nuclear science. |
| richard rhodes the making of the atomic bomb: San Fransicko Michael Shellenberger, 2021-12-10 National bestselling author of APOCALYPSE NEVER skewers progressives for the mishandling of America's faltering cities. Progressives claimed they knew how to solve homelessness, inequality, and crime. But in cities they control, progressives made those problems worse. Michael Shellenberger has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for thirty years. During that time, he advocated for the decriminalization of drugs, affordable housing, and alternatives to jail and prison. But as homeless encampments spread, and overdose deaths skyrocketed, Shellenberger decided to take a closer look at the problem. What he discovered shocked him. The problems had grown worse not despite but because of progressive policies. San Francisco and other West Coast cities -- Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland -- had gone beyond merely tolerating homelessness, drug dealing, and crime to actively enabling them. San Fransicko reveals that the underlying problem isn't a lack of housing or money for social programs. The real problem is an ideology that designates some people, by identity or experience, as victims entitled to destructive behaviors. The result is an undermining of the values that make cities, and civilization itself, possible. |
Richard - Wikipedia
Richard Theodore Otcasek (1944–2019), known as Ric Ocasek, frontman for the Cars; Richard Patrick (born 1968), lead singer and guitarist of Filter; Richard Wayne Penniman (1932–2020), …
Meaning, origin and history of the name Richard
Dec 1, 2024 · It was borne by three kings of England including the 12th-century Richard I the Lionheart, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade. During the late Middle Ages this name was …
Richard I | Biography, Achievements, Crusade, Facts, & Death
Richard I, duke of Aquitaine (from 1168) and of Poitiers (from 1172) and king of England, duke of Normandy, and count of Anjou (1189–99). His knightly manner and his prowess in the Third …
How Dick Came to be Short for Richard - Today I Found Out
Apr 28, 2012 · How Dick became a nickname for Richard is known and is one of those “knee bone connected to the thigh bone” type progressions, somewhat similar to how the word ‘soccer’ …
Richard Name Meaning, Origin, History, And Popularity
Aug 26, 2024 · Richard is a popular male name with Germanic roots and royal connections. Read on to learn more about it.
Richard - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity
Jun 8, 2025 · Richard is a boy's name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler". Richard is the 232 ranked male name by popularity.
Richard Name Meaning: History, Gender & Pronunciation - Mom …
Feb 17, 2025 · Richard Gwyn: Also known as Richard White, illegally taught Catholic schoolchildren in Wales and was executed by Queen Elizabeth I for refusing to convert to Anglicanism . Is …
What does Richard mean? - Definitions.net
Definition of Richard in the Definitions.net dictionary. Meaning of Richard. What does Richard mean? Information and translations of Richard in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions …
Richard - Name Meaning, What does Richard mean? - Think Baby Names
What does Richard mean? R ichard as a boys' name is pronounced RICH-erd. It is of Old German origin, and the meaning of Richard is "powerful leader". Norman name commonly used for the …
Richard - Meaning of Richard, What does Richard mean? - BabyNamesPedia
Richard is used chiefly in the Czech, Dutch, English, French, and German languages, and its origin is Germanic and English. From Germanic roots, its meaning is powerful ruler . A two-element name, …
Richard - Wikipedia
Richard Theodore Otcasek (1944–2019), known as Ric Ocasek, frontman for the Cars; Richard Patrick (born 1968), lead singer and guitarist of Filter; Richard Wayne Penniman (1932–2020), …
Meaning, origin and history of the name Richard
Dec 1, 2024 · It was borne by three kings of England including the 12th-century Richard I the Lionheart, one of the leaders of the Third Crusade. During the late Middle Ages this name was …
Richard I | Biography, Achievements, Crusade, Facts, & Death
Richard I, duke of Aquitaine (from 1168) and of Poitiers (from 1172) and king of England, duke of Normandy, and count of Anjou (1189–99). His knightly manner and his prowess in the Third …
How Dick Came to be Short for Richard - Today I Found Out
Apr 28, 2012 · How Dick became a nickname for Richard is known and is one of those “knee bone connected to the thigh bone” type progressions, somewhat similar to how the word …
Richard Name Meaning, Origin, History, And Popularity
Aug 26, 2024 · Richard is a popular male name with Germanic roots and royal connections. Read on to learn more about it.
Richard - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity
Jun 8, 2025 · Richard is a boy's name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler". Richard is the 232 ranked male name by popularity.
Richard Name Meaning: History, Gender & Pronunciation - Mom …
Feb 17, 2025 · Richard Gwyn: Also known as Richard White, illegally taught Catholic schoolchildren in Wales and was executed by Queen Elizabeth I for refusing to convert to …
What does Richard mean? - Definitions.net
Definition of Richard in the Definitions.net dictionary. Meaning of Richard. What does Richard mean? Information and translations of Richard in the most comprehensive dictionary …
Richard - Name Meaning, What does Richard mean? - Think Baby Names
What does Richard mean? R ichard as a boys' name is pronounced RICH-erd. It is of Old German origin, and the meaning of Richard is "powerful leader". Norman name commonly used for the …
Richard - Meaning of Richard, What does Richard mean? - BabyNamesPedia
Richard is used chiefly in the Czech, Dutch, English, French, and German languages, and its origin is Germanic and English. From Germanic roots, its meaning is powerful ruler . A two …
