The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes

 I should get a medal for reading this one!  It was 749 pages of a very detailed chronology of the making of the atomic bomb. The book received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

The story starts with the scientists who discovered, experimented, and refined the techniques necessary, beginning in 1933, and up and through the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945.  

I admit I glazed over on some parts where the chemistry, physics and mechanics were described and illustrated.  It isn't required to read and understand the technical parts.  What I took away from this book was the astonishing coordination capability of great minds of science to pursue a curiosity that turned into a reality and then to struggle with the solemn impact of that discovery on the world.  

I was also struck by the interplay of science, politics and the military to achieve a goal that they thought would save lives while at the same time acknowledging the destructive force being unleashed. The competition between warring nations and the way in which each country corralled their best scientists and military strategists was impressive.  It made me think about the efforts being made now to advance science, such as with Crispr in biology and Blockchain technology in finance.

An inspirational, horrifying and sobering historical account well worth the read.

Quotes:

"Becoming a scientist is necessarily an act of profound commitment to the scientific system and the scientific world view....They constituted a republic of educated believers taught through a chain of master and apprentices to judge carefully the slippery edges of their work."

"The best way to do the job, was to allow each worker to keep track of what every other worker was doing.  Let them work on putting the puzzle together in the sight of the others, so that every time a piece of it is fitted in by one, all the others will immediately watch out for the next step that becomes possible in the consequence. That way, even though each worker acts on his own initiative, he acts to further the entire group's achievement.  The group works independently together; the puzzle is assembled in the most efficient way."

"In 1516 a rich silver lode was discovered in Joachimsthal (in the Ore Mountains in Germany] ...in 1519 coins were first struck from its silver and named 'Joachimsthaler', shortened to thaler, and became 'dollar' in English before 1600."

"Rutherford [Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand physicist, known as the father of nuclear physics] was elevated to baron in...1931. Trismegistus, the Egyptian god of wisdom who was supposed to have written alchemical books...was on his crest."

"The Japanese physics colloquium...had decided in March 1943 that an atomic bomb was possible but not practically attainable. ...The Japanese assessment...overestimated the difficult of isotope separation and underestimated U.S. industrial capacity.  It also...underestimated American dedication.  Collective dedication was a pattern of Japanese culture more than of American. But Americans could summon it when challenged, and couple it with resources of talent and capital unmatched anywhere else in the world."

Published: 1986  Read: February 2022 Genre: History