• Pulitzer Winner Kai Bird on Robert Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb

  • Jul 17 2024
  • Length: 52 mins
  • Podcast

Pulitzer Winner Kai Bird on Robert Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb

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  • Summary

  • This week on The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and DFER's Alisha Searcy interview Pulitzer Winner Kai Bird. Mr. Bird focuses on the life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, “father of the atomic bomb.” He discusses Oppenheimer's impact on history, his early life and education, and his academic achievements in quantum physics. Bird covers Oppenheimer's political views, relationships, as well as his leadership in the Manhattan Project and his role in the Trinity test. He reflects on Oppenheimer's ethical concerns about the atomic bomb's devastation of WWII Japan and impact on the Cold War’s arms race. He examines Oppenheimer’s post-WWII career, including his involvement with the Atomic Energy Commission and the security clearance hearings that marked his decline. Mr. Bird continues with a discussion of Oppenheimer's legacy and the lessons from his life about the interplay between science, technology, and politics. He shares the experience of his book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, being turned into an Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan. Mr. Bird closes by reading a passage from his Oppenheimer biography.
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