Recently we passed 75 years since the first and only usage of atomic weapons in world history — a fact for which we are grateful and honestly a little surprising to me. The use of “Little Boy” on Hiroshima and “Fat Man” on Nagasaki unleashed a new era in weaponry. The development and use of these weapons remains highly controversial.
I read two books on this recently and found both fascinating. Chris Wallace’s Countdown to 1945 tells the story of the development of the nuclear program in Los Alamos, NM, known as Project Y or the Manhattan Project. Wallace tells the story of Robert Oppenheimer and other scientist who worked to make these bombs. It’s told in a “countdown” style marking the months, weeks, days, then hours up to the first bombing. I enjoyed this one. It’s readable and thought the science is mind boggling complex, Wallace writes in a way that’s easy to follow. The second book was equally fascinating as it told the story of The Girls of Atomic City. In the little town of Oak Ridge, TN there was a sprawling military reserve set up for the purpose of creating material for bombs. With many of the men off to war, so many young women were recruited to work the development site. It was so secretive that the vast majority of the people who worked there had no idea what they were working on. These girls were trained to turn dials and monitor readings without even knowing what they were working with. It wasn’t until after the first bomb was dropped that they became aware of what they had helped to create. This book follows the lives of these ladies and takes a look at the ethical struggles many have once they realize what they helped create. One final resource, I appreciated Dr. Mohler’s take on this episode of The Briefing on the ethical implications of the use of the bomb.
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