The Atomic Bomb

After the completion of World War 2, the nations of the world polarize into an ideological standoff. The existence of atomic bombs changes the geopolitical realities of governments and warfare. The threat of nuclear annihilation smolders for the decades of the Cold War, and the nations of the West struggle to create lasting world peace.The Atomic Bomb podcast describes the history leading to the discovery of the atomic bomb, as well as its role in World War 2. We also examine the science behind the

The Empire of Japan arose, first to combat colonialism, and later to spread its own dominance over East Asia and the Pacific. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese and the Allies engage in cataclysmic conflicts across the Pacific. Finally, the Japanese Empire is cornered and surrounded in its home islands. Allied leadership must choose whether to begin a drawn-out assault and invasion of Japan, or to conduct a nuclear strike in the hopes that the Empire will surrender.The Atomic Bomb

With the outbreak of war and the entry of the United States into World War 2, Leo Szilard and Albert Einstein write a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt, detailing the possibility of nuclear bomb technology. The president heeds their warning, and orders the military to begin the Manhattan project, a massive scientific and industrial effort led by the seasoned physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The successful Trinity test proves the immense power and destructive potential of the nuclear bomb.The

The rise of the Nazis and fascists prompts the Jewish scientists of central Europe to take refuge in the West. Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn discover nuclear fission. Werner Heisenberg begins the German atomic bomb project, and Enrico Fermi builds the first nuclear reactor in a squash court in the University of Chicago.The Atomic Bomb podcast describes the history leading to the discovery of the atomic bomb, as well as its role in World War 2. We also examine the science behind the understanding of the

The nations of the world mobilize, and the Great War (World War 1) breaks out – and the science of mass, industrialized killing is perfected. The subject of chemistry is wielded by Fritz Haber to make poison gas. After the Great War, the bitterness of defeat sows the seeds for another world war, and young Adolf Hitler forms his ideology.The Atomic Bomb podcast describes the history leading to the discovery of the atomic bomb, as well as its role in World War 2. We also examine the science behind the

In the middle of the 20th century, the combination of scientific brilliance and a globe-spanning war produced weapons so powerful that a single bomb could flatten an entire city. The origin of this technology takes us back into history, to Leo Szilard’s first conception of a nuclear chain reaction, and even further back, when scientists weren’t sure whether atoms even existed. Once atoms, and all their various parts, were discovered, great scientists like Ernest Rutherford, JJ Thompson, Niels Bohr,

Trailer for The Atomic Bomb podcast.The Atomic Bomb podcast describes the history leading to the discovery of the atomic bomb, as well as its role in World War 2. We also examine the science behind the understanding of the atomic nucleus, how it enables the release of atomic energy, as well as the design and function of nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. We follow the stories of some of the scientists involved – their discoveries, tragedies, and adventures. Lastly, we consider the geopolitical