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From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2003 12:14:40 -0400


Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2003 10:43:16 -0400
To: farber () cis upenn edu
From: "Jonathan M. Smith" <jms () cis upenn edu>
Subject: Perhaps for IP?



HOW ITS MAKERS LEARNED TO HATE THE BOMB
from The Boston Globe

Edward Teller rubbed suntan lotion on his face and put on a heavy pair of
gloves to protect his hands as he waited for the first test of the atomic
bomb. Standing in the New Mexico desert on the morning of July 16, 1945,
the Hungarian born physicist who would later emerge as the champion of the
nuclear arms race, pressed a piece of welder's glass to his face. "A
hundred to one it's not needed," he said, "but what do we know?"

The explosion that followed changed the course of science and history,
ushering in an era where humans have the power to destroy civilization.
Less well known is the way it forever altered the friendships and lives of
Teller and the eight other physicists who invented the atomic bomb.

The book, "Pandora's Keepers," by historian Brian VanDeMark, offers a fresh
look at the dawn of the nuclear age by examining not just the scientific
accomplishments, but the thoughts, feelings and judgements of these nine
men who created the first weapon of mass destruction and who framed a
debate that continues today over how best to contain and reduce the threat
of nuclear war.
<http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/154/science/How_its_makers_learned_to_hate_the_bomb+.shtml>






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