Niels Bohr and J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Lives and Careers of the Physicists Who Pioneered Atomic Energy
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Jim Walsh
()
About this audiobook
The Manhattan Project would ultimately yield the “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” bombs that released more than 100 Terajoules of energy at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but as it turned out, the Axis were not far behind with their own nuclear weapons program. When the Nazis’ quest for a nuclear weapon began in earnest in 1939, no one really had a handle on how important nuclear weapons would prove to war and geopolitics. The pursuit of nuclear weapons moved the scientist nearer to the role of combatant, placing special responsibilities on the scientific community to make critical moral decisions. However, as they developed atomic weapons, they could at the same time only warn military powers of their use. Advocates for nuclear power as a civilian energy resource but expressing misgivings about nuclear war put them at odds with uninformed branches of the military.
Niels Bohr was a world-famous physicist and one of the patriarchs of quantum theory. Given the vibrant, peaceful haven that is Denmark today, it’s somewhat ironic that Bohr played an instrumental role in the development of the atomic bomb. Even so, the truth and depth of the matter, much like the self-professed pacifist himself, is far more complex.
The American war effort against the Japanese and Germans also included denying either one the use of a practical nuclear weapon. Physics was in its highest stage of advancement in Europe during this time, while J. Robert Oppenheimer emerged as an extraordinary scientific mind in the United States. Despite requiring the work of thousands of scientists and assistants in fashioning the weapon that eventually came to pass, Oppenheimer alone has been become renowned as the “father of the atomic bomb” due to his leadership of the Manhattan Project.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fermi Paradox: The History and Legacy of the Famous Debate over the Existence of Aliens Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Madame de Pompadour: The Life and Legacy of French King Louis XV’s Chief Mistress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung: The Pioneering Lives and Works of History’s Most Influential Psychologists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of the Dead: The History and Legacy of Ancient Egypt’s Famous Funerary Texts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patrice Lumumba: The Life and Legacy of the Pan-African Politician Who Became Congo's First Prime Minister Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle of the Somme: The History and Legacy of World War I’s Biggest Battle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStokely Carmichael: The Life and Legacy of the Civil Rights Activist Who Led the Black Power Movement Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Niels Bohr and J. Robert Oppenheimer
Related audiobooks
The Murder of Professor Schlick: The Rise and Fall of the Vienna Circle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science & Religion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRosicrucian America: How a Secret Society Influenced the Destiny of a Nation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Theologico-Political Treatise/A Political Treatise Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Religion in America: An Introduction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bridge of History Over the Gulf of Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bonhoeffer Abridged: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Supernatural War: Magic, Divination, and Faith during the First World War Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5To Walk the Earth Again: The Politics of Resurrection in Early America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dead Sea Scrolls: A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Christianity Before Christ Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inca Apocalypse: The Spanish Conquest and the Transformation of the Andean World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aquinas for Armchair Theologians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Secular Enlightenment Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish: and the Amazing-But-True Survival Story of Plymouth Colony Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Zondervan Essential Companion to Christian History: Audio Lectures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Famous Artists: Art Movements, Renaissance, and Age of Enlightenment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Atomic Alchemist: J. Robert Oppenheimer And The Birth of The Nuclear Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCorpse Care: Ethics for Tending the Dead Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World’s Most Famous Physicists: The Lives and Legacies of the Scientists Who Pioneered Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDarwin's Origin of Species: A Biography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jan Hus: The Life and Legacy of the Christian Theologian Executed for Heresy Before the Reformation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Biography & Memoir For You
And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Child Called It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ivy League Counterfeiter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste: My Life Through Food Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ghosts That Haunt Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elon Musk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Angela's Ashes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5People, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Permanent Record Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hit and Run Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the Dream House: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wavewalker: A Memoir of Breaking Free Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucky Man: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Do You Know Who I Am?: Battling Imposter Syndrome in Hollywood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Niels Bohr and J. Robert Oppenheimer
0 ratings0 reviews