The Making of the Atomic Bomb

Author Rhodes, a historian and journalist, has written more than a score of books on American history, warfare, nuclear technology, and technology in general. A Yale graduate and visiting scholar at several major academic institutions, Rhodes won the Pulitzer Prize and other awards for The Making of the Atomic Bomb. 

One of the 20th century’s premier physics intellects, perhaps second only to Einstein, Bohr was large and athletic but also unassuming and soft spoken. He discovered the basic structure of atomic electron orbits and developed the idea of complementarity, whereby subatomic items can be treated simultaneously as particles and waves. Bohr established a physics institute in Denmark, where he helped advance physics and assisted many young scientists with their careers. During World War II, Bohr worked with the Swedish government to help thousands of Danish Jews escape to Sweden. Bohr was deeply concerned that the development of atomic weapons would lead to a deadly arms race; during World War II, he met with Roosevelt and Churchill to discuss his ideas about nuclear arms treaties.