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This book is an incredibly good read: "'The Making of the Atomic Bomb' is a history book written by the American journalist and historian Richard Rhodes, first
by dxs 2y ago
This book is an incredibly good read: "'The Making of the Atomic Bomb' is a history book written by the American journalist and historian Richard Rhodes, first published by Simon & Schuster in 1987. The book won multiple awards, including Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The narrative covers people and events from early 20th century discoveries leading to the science of nuclear fission, through the Manhattan Project and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
Possibly the best book that I have ever read. It deals with many of the issues raised in the comments here, and with politics, industrial development, economics, military capabilities, and the history of modern physics.
Rhodes also wrote "'Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb', which told the story of the atomic espionage during World War II, the debates over whether the hydrogen bomb ought to be produced, and the eventual creation of the bomb and its consequences for the arms race." Also impeccable
Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Making_of_the_Atomic_Bomb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Making_of_the_Atomic_Bomb
- complaintdept 2y agoI wish I had read your entire comment before ordering "The Making of" because now I'm paying double shipping to get "Dark Sun" as well.
- kilolima 2y ago[flagged]
- Cthulhu_ 2y agoYou seem to be advocating piracy for a book still in print, still for sale, and from an author who is still alive; please don't, it's mean.
- TaylorAlexander 2y agoHard disagree that it is inherently "mean" to pirate a book regardless of its status. If you can afford to support someone you should, but IMO we should value most of all unrestricted access to knowledge without shame. Also this book first came out in 1986. One hopes the author is still not dependent on its sales.
- josephg 2y agoYep. Personally I’m generally in favour of copyright as it was originally drafted: only valid for 7 years, with an optional extension to 14. I’m all for creative people making a living from their work, but 40 years copyright is too long. To say nothing of the absurd rules today of 70 years after the death of the author or whatever it is.
- aidenn0 2y agoMy example is Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty. Had today's copyright regime been in force, Tchaikovsky's 1890 ballet would have still been under copyright, so Disney couldn't have made it.
- mr_toad 2y agoIf you could patent pulling up the ladder after you, Disney would hold that patent.
- Yeul 2y agoAlso a lot of history books were funded by government money or NGOs. Which is understandable considering that it may very well take years of research to write one.
- sigzero 2y agoWhy should "not dependent" on sales be any kind of consideration here? The right thing to do is to purchase the book.
- TaylorAlexander 2y agoI disagree that purchasing the book is automatically the “right” thing to do. If someone cannot afford the book, it is my view that society should not expect them to pay. I believe that this view towards knowledge will lead to a wiser society, and we deviate from that path at our peril.
- ssklash 2y agoI've read both and they are simply phenomenal.
- nox101 2y agoI really loved this podcast Hardcore History 59 – (BLITZ) The Destroyer of Worlds https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-59-the-destroyer-of-worlds/ https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-59-the-de...
- freedomben 2y agoSecond this. It's currently available free on the RSS feed in every podcast directory. The whole back catalog can also be purchased, and IMHO it's well worth buying. I bought it a couple years back and have been very happy with it. I think it's like $80, but you get countless hours of good history from a master storyteller. His series on World War I (aka The Great War) called "Blueprint For Armageddon" was one of the most interesting and captivating of any podcasts or audiobooks I've ever listened to. When I was younger the older folks would talk so highly about the days of theater radio, when actors and storytellers would tell audio-only stories. I used to wonder how that could possibly compete with video. After listening to Hardcore History, I get it now. There's something really powerful about listening to a natural storyteller lay things out, and Dan Carlin is a master of the craft. If you're new to him, the last few years of shows are always freely available through the RSS feed that's in every podcast directory.
- devilbunny 2y agoI have heard that Carlin's historiography isn't great... but I will fully agree that the man is a master storyteller and does wonders for making insanely complex topics comprehensible. Ghosts of the Ostfront was the one that sold me on him. If he's not dead-on, all the time, well, I can read more later and be corrected. I had no idea you could just buy his old episodes. May have to go buy them now.
- chasd00 2y agolate to the thread but just ordered The Making of the Atomic Bomb, thanks for the tip!
- robterrell 2y agoI read this after seeing Oppenheimer. Just a tremendous book. I learned so much from his description of the early debates around the structure of atoms. It really illuminates the theorists' struggles with quantum mechanics and how, as we often see, progress required a new generation of thinkers.
- ErigmolCt 2y agoWhat do you think of the movie? For some reason, I can’t bring myself to watch it yet. (I’m a very sensitive person.)
- mewse-hn 2y agoI resisted seeing the movie for quite a while, maybe for similar reasons to you. I was certain it would be depressing. It was much better than I expected. This will sound stupid but I didn't expect it to focus on the story of the man himself rather than the bomb (you'd think the title would be a hint).
- freedomben 2y agoI'm about an hour into "The Making of the Atomic Bomb"! Great so far. I recently finished "American Prometheus" the Pulitzer Prize winning biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and it was phenomenal. I recommend it highly. It's a great different perspective on the story of the making of the bomb since it's more focused on the man's life. Really cool.
- malwrar 2y agoThis is my all-time favorite book, I’ve read through it numerous times. The level of detail and scope of focus is breathtaking. Its narrative reflects to me a deeper truth about the asymmetric leverage that mastery of a new technology bestows, and the unpredictable outcomes of its inevitabile diffusion among humans in a barely-stable world. I can’t recommend it enough, I feel like I learned something major about the nature of our species after completing it.
- ErigmolCt 2y agoSometimes it’s very interesting to reflect on how technological advancements can redefine human possibilities
- ErigmolCt 2y agoIt feels like these two books need to be read in order