Destroyer Of Worlds by Frank Close [Paperback]

Destroyer of Worlds traces the history of nuclear physics, from Henri Becquerel’s discovery of radioactivity in 1896 to the development of atomic and thermonuclear weapons during the twentieth century. Exploring the work of scientists including Ernest Rutherford, Enrico Fermi, Lise Meitner, Irene Curie, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, the book examines how scientific collaboration and accidental discoveries became entangled with political conflict and the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. It also reconsiders the contributions of overlooked women scientists and explores how personal relationships, convictions, and chance shaped the atomic age.