In this episode, we go from the discovery of nuclear fission up to the most recent state getting a nuclear weapon, and in between we talk about the Manhattan Project, Soviet spies, Hiroshima, US nuclear testing, and the DPRK having a nuke. This episode has some of the darkest moments we've had on the podcast and also some incredible silliness. Enjoy!
Suggested Reading/Viewing -
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird & Martin Sherwin
Stalin's Great Science: The Times and Adventures of Soviet Physicists, Alexei B. Kojevnikov
Before The Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima, Diana Preston
Hiroshima's Shadow: Writings on the Denial of History, Kai Bird & Lawrence Lifschultz
The Ruin of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Birth of the Modern Arms Race, Priscilla Johnson McMillan
Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters, Kate Brown
Hiroshima, John Hersey
Yellow Dirt: A Poisoned Land and the Betrayal of the Navajos, Judy Pasternak
Bombshell: The Secret Story of America's Unknown Atomic Spy Controversy, Joseph Albright & Marcia Kunstel
A Bomb in the Basement: Israel's Nuclear Option
Outro music:
Gang of Four - "I Found That Essence Rare"