HISTORY This Week Destroyer of Worlds
Jul 13, 2020
Dr. Jon Hunner, a U.S. history expert and author, delves into the pivotal Trinity Test of 1945 that marked the dawn of the Atomic Age. He discusses how the scientific community, propelled by Einstein’s warning, rapidly advanced nuclear fission technology. Listen in as he shares insights on Oppenheimer's leadership, the rush to create bomb designs, and the moral dilemmas faced by scientists post-test. Hunner also reflects on how this monumental moment reshaped human self-perception and influenced the trajectory of global politics.
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Trinity Marked A New Era
- The Trinity test on July 16, 1945 marked the start of the Atomic Age and a new human capacity for mass destruction.
- That single detonation reframed global politics, war, and human self-perception permanently.
A Historian From A Nuclear Household
- Jon Hunner grew up around nuclear culture because his father worked on Air Force bases storing nuclear weapons.
- He later became a historian and investigated what his father had done during that secretive era.
Atomic Fission Enabled Chain Reactions
- Splitting the atom released neutrons and energy that could trigger a cascading chain reaction.
- That physical discovery made the theoretical possibility of explosive, weaponized atomic energy real.
