Building the H Bomb: A Personal History

De: Kenneth W. Ford

Narrado por: Adam B. Ford

In this engaging scientific memoir, Kenneth Ford recounts the time when, in his mid-20s, he was a member of the team that designed and built the first hydrogen bomb. He worked with - and relaxed with - scientific giants of that time such as Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi, Stan Ulam, John von Neumann, and John Wheeler, and here offers illuminating insights into the personalities, the strengths, and the quirks of these men.

Well known for his ability to explain physics to nonspecialists, Ford also brings to life the physics of fission and fusion and provides a brief history of nuclear science from the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 to the 10 megaton explosion of “Mike” that obliterated a Pacific Island in 1952. Ford worked at both Los Alamos and Princeton's Project Matterhorn and brings out Matterhorn's major but previously unheralded contribution to the development of the H bomb.

Outside the lab, he drove a battered Chevrolet around New Mexico, a bantam motorcycle across the country, and a British roadster around New Jersey. Part of the charm of Ford's book is the way in which he leavens his well-researched descriptions of the scientific work with brief tales of his life away from weapons.

©2015 World Scientific Publishing Company (P)2018 World Scientific Publishing Company

Original content is 15%of content

I love these personal histories but I felt this was too much of a repeat of previously told stories to be worth the listen. Also, who wants chimes and sound effects to indicate sub chapter type? Not me.

Tales of Neurons and Neutrons

This personal story in the midst of the discovery and engineering of the 'Super' is a great companion piece to the Richard Rhodes titles. Its the personal story that explains the conflict felt by the author and others of working on these devices; especially once WWII was ended. Rationalizing the US was a more moral nation I found relatable as (revealed in Dead Hand, 2009) what the USSR was willing to do if challenged.

Its takes a nation to build a super weapon and all mankind to tame it.

Lots of personal ; not much h bomb

I was hoping to hear more About the issues of building the bomb itself. Instead there was a lot of personal interaction which wasn’t really of a historically important nature. Overall not worth it.