The making of the atomic bomb
by Richard Rhodes · first published 1986
73% recommend25% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
A richly detailed, Pulitzer-winning history of nuclear physics and the Manhattan Project, from early lab discoveries to the effects at Hiroshima. Praised for its storytelling; for readers curious about science.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Here for the first time, in rich, human, political, and scientific detail, is the complete story of how the bomb was developed, from the turn-of-the-century discovery of the vast energy locked inside the atom to the dropping of the first bombs on Japan. Few great discoveries have evolved so swiftly -- or have been so misunderstood. From the theoretical discussions of nuclear energy to the bright glare of Trinity there was a span of hardly more than twenty-five years. What began as merely an interesting speculative problem in physics grew into the Manhattan Project, and then into the Bomb w
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…what scientific research is all about, so that many things that otherwise may end up being puzzling to you when you come to learn the "hard science", won't. One recommendation I can make is Rhodes' The Making of the Atomic Bomb.
on “So You Want to Learn Physics” ↗I second the recommendation for The Making of the Atomic Bomb. That books more or less defined the category of "narrative history" for me. So much better than any other history I had ever read at the time.
on “A Chunk of Trinitite Reminds Us of the Power of the Atomic Bomb” ↗…rationale for the NIF (stockpile stewardship), I suggest reading and understanding this light introduction to modern nuclear weapons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermonuclear_weapon (the rhodes books, Making of the Atomic Bomb is required background reading, as is Dark Sun, if you want to get into the backstore). In particular: The NIH experiment recapitulates many of the design aspects of a thermonuclear weapon, but does…
on “Nuclear fusion milestone passed at US lab” ↗Boon recommendation: The making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes. An extremely interesting book that starts at a time when electrons were known but atoms were a disputed concept. It traces the development of nuclear physics by following the people,…
on “New evidence shows this uranium cube is likely relic of Nazi A-bomb program” ↗If anyone is interested in the biography of the Manhattan Project in general, including much of the goings-on at Los Alamos, I really must recommend Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" (http://www.amazon.com/The-Making-Atomic-Bomb-Anniversary/dp/...) It's an excellent read, cover-to-cover. One of the few assigned books I read with excitement while in undergrad.
on “Los Alamos Declassified” ↗If you're interested in atomic history and the Manhattan Project, a great book is Richard Rhodes' The making of the atomic bomb (ISBN: 1451677618). It's ~900 pages of history, from the personalities of the scientists involved, to the sites of Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, and Hanford, and the first uses. I enjoyed reading it while interning…
on “How the Manhattan Project’s Nuclear Suburb Stayed Secret” ↗…especially when the military had to justify the incredible expense to Congress (adjusted for inflation the total cost is around 30 billion in 2018 dollars). I've recently been reading the excellent "The Making of The Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes which covers the events of this period in much detail. The US had already been ridiculously effective using firebombing to level Japanese cities with their B-29s - so much so, they…
on “AI at Google: our principles” ↗Anything by Bill Bryson, but especially “At Home” and “One Summer: America, 1927”. Both are brilliant. “John Adams” by David McCullough. Possibly the best historical bio ever. “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” by Richard Rhodes. The best recounting of the founding of Los Alamos. “Hackers” by Steven Levy. The best book on the birth of creatine coding. “The Soul of a New Machine” by Tracy Kidder. The best…
on “Ask HN: Examples of good technical writing?” ↗Which brings me to one of my favorite physicist stories ever. From Richard Rhodes' The Making of the Atomic Bomb, page 47, describing the 1907 work of Ernest Rutherford and Hans Geiger: "There was a way to make individual alpha particles visible using zinc sulfide... A small glass plate coated with zinc sulfide…
on “ Can a Human See a Single Photon?” ↗For anyone interested in the history of nuclear physics and the atomic bomb, there is an excellent book by Richard Rhodes called The Making of the Atomic Bomb. He follows the scientists who made the discoveries leading up to nuclear fission and development of the bomb. His research is thorough and his storytelling engaging. The author does a great job of developing…
on “WWII Hero Credits Luck and Chance in Foiling Hitler’s Nuclear Ambitions” ↗I just read two books that I thought would be unrelated, but ended up being very related in a way that was fascinating to read the two in tandem — The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt, and The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. The Swerve is about Epicurus and Lucretius — who both helped popularize atomism 2000+ years ago. I never thought much of the philosophical implications of the world being made of up…
on “Is atomic theory the most important idea in human history?” ↗Not software books, but 'Apollo: Race to the Moon' by Murray and Cox, and 'The Making of The Atomic Bomb', Rhodes are my two favorite books about engineering projects and the people behind them.
on “Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?” ↗The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes were both great.
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗Szilard features prominently in Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb." Definitely worth the read if you have an interest in early nuclear science. Really filled in a lot of details about scientists that I remember learning about in school but never knew much about personally.…
on “The dubious distinction, and literary legacy, of Leo Szilard” ↗The biography that this is based on, "American Prometheus", is fantastic. A fast, smart read. Oppenheimer obviously also appears in Richard Rhodes' utterly superb "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", though he only becomes a main character in the sequel, "Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb", which is also great. Oppenheimer was a highly skilled physicist, but Rhodes attributes his ability…
on “The Eccentric Father of the Atomic Bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (2019)” ↗