Generals and Geniuses: A History of the Manhattan Project

De: Edward G. Lengel, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Edward G. Lengel

Generals and Geniuses: A History of the Manhattan Project

Boom. On July 16, 1945, a fireball erupted in the sky over a remote desert in New Mexico - and the world changed forever. That fireball was the culmination of a dramatic race to harness the power of the atom itself in order to save the world from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. You know this race by another name: the Manhattan Project.

In 10 riveting episodes that feel like a fast-paced thriller, acclaimed World War II historian Edward G. Lengel’s Generals and Geniuses: A History of the Manhattan Project brings the origin of the atomic bomb - and the scientific minds behind it - to vivid life. Did the Manhattan Project, and the remarkable weapon it produced, save millions of lives at the expense of the tens of thousands who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? And was there any way to prevent this technology from unleashing the horrors that still hang over us today? These complicated questions linger like a mushroom cloud over the story of the race to develop the world’s first atomic weapon.

Featuring a cast of characters including Enrico Fermi, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Harry S. Truman, and packed with international espionage, close calls, down-to-the-wire decisions, and a race against time, The Manhattan Project blends science, history, and military strategy to reveal the truth about how the world entered the nuclear age. The story of the Manhattan Project - from the first inklings of what mankind could do with the atom to the fateful bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - is, above all, a human story: one that celebrates the brilliance of scientific knowledge, the brutal struggle for freedom, and the messy ethics of the human cost of war - and victory. And it’s a story whose final chapter, as you’ll discover by the end of this remarkable series, has yet to be written.

©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Surprisingly Engaging

I enjoy listening to The Great Courses, even the tiny bite-sized Audible Original ones that have come out lately. I was surprised by how interesting this one was. I think that's largely due to how it made historical personalities come to life - not just one or two, but many. Quick humanizing anecdotes and character descriptions make it easy to see those involved as vibrant personalities. This is more than a list of names and dates.

Engaging and informative

One of the reviewers said “nothing new at all”. Unless you’ve read books specifically about the Manhattan project I have a hard time seeing how most of it isn’t new. It was mostly new to me and I’ve read dozens of books on wwii. Anyway, it’s an appropriately brief, effective discussion of an important page in human history.

Best course offering I have heard

Fascinating. Of the many free course offerings, this has been my favorite. Great telling of an incredible story.

Authentic and engaging!

Your diction/ clarity of reading the text to us - delightful!
and use of phrasing and pausing; so easy to listen to and not the lost! - superb!
The DETAILS, skillfully used, made me FEEL I WAS THERE! - engaging!
The rich authentic details….the temp of the weather/ the day of the week, the substance of a letter, the detail of a “wife that began drinking….. OMG! I felt like I KNEW these people!
I don’t LIKE history/ never felt I understood it or why it was important….BUT!! I could listen to you on ANY history subject….and ‘get it’ and be enthralled!

Passionate History at it's finest

You could tell that there was passion in the research and storytelling! Well done Mr. Lengel!

One of the better Great Courses series.

This is one of the better of The Great Courses to which I’ve listened. In short, this is a summary of the development of the theory and technologies leading to the of deployment of atomic bombs by the U.S. against Japan. It provides thumbnail sketches of many of the key scientific, military, and political players, and includes some of the complex and hotly contested moral considerations and controversies surrounding atomic weapons.

Excellent

This is an excellent portrayal and overview of the Manhattan project, history and characters. A great company piece with Oppenheimer coming out soon.

So much covered

This has to be the most complete history on the subject. From first thoughts to the lives of the bomb designers, builders, politicians and the equipment and people that delivered the bomb. Great Read

Thorough and interesting

This course is very informative without getting stuck in the minutiae. I found it compelling and well read.

what a book!

great courses delivers again, what a great in depth discussion over the Manhattan project. I loved it and can't think highly enough of this book.