Before the Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima.DIANA PRESTON As the 60th anniversary of the detonation of the first atomic bomb atomic bomb or A-bomb, weapon deriving its explosive force from the release of atomic energy through the fission (splitting) of heavy nuclei (see nuclear energy). The first atomic bomb was produced at the Los Alamos, N.Mex. approaches, historian Preston traces the scientific and political history of atomic energy. Starting with the discoveries of X rays by Wilhelm Roentgen roentgen /roent·gen/ (rent´gen) the international unit of x- or ?-radiation; it is the quantity of x- or ?-radiation such that the associated corpuscular emission per 0. and of radium radium (rā`dēəm) [Lat. radius=ray], radioactive metallic chemical element; symbol Ra; at. no. 88; at. wt. 226.0254; m.p. 700°C;; b.p. 1,140°C;; sp. gr. about 6.0; valence +2. Radium is a lustrous white radioactive metal. by Marie Curie Curie (kürē`), family of French scientists. Pierre Curie, 1859–1906, scientist, and his wife, Marie Sklodowska Curie, 1867–1934, chemist and physicist, b. , this book traces the path that led to the detonation of an atomic bomb over Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945. Preston chronicles how scientists' optimistic quest for knowledge was transformed into a worldwide race to develop the ultimate weapon of mass destruction weapon of mass destruction (WMD) Weapon with the capacity to inflict death and destruction indiscriminately and on a massive scale. The term has been in currency since at least 1937, when it was used to describe massed formations of bomber aircraft. . Rather than focusing on the Manhattan project and its counterparts in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Preston covers the unfolding technology that led scientists and political leaders of the 20th century to regard the atomic bomb as a possibility. The book concludes with a fascinating what-if epilogue. It is highly recommended for readers who relish 20th-century history in general and the modern history of science in particular. Walker & Company, 2005, b&w photos, hardcover, $27.00. |
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