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Race to the bomb

To listen online, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/thebomb

Christopher Nolan's Hollywood film 'Oppenheimer' tells the story of the father of the atomic bomb. And one of the other key players in the creation of the bomb was the scientist Leo Szilard – he was instrumental to both the creation of the bomb, and later, the fight to stop it being used. The writer Emily Strasser’s family was involved too, and she tells the story of the chain reaction onwards from the splitting of the atom.

It’s a race against time to beat the Nazis to the first nuclear bomb. After his epiphany in London, Leo Szilard must convince the scientific establishment to take the nuclear threat seriously. He turns to Frederick Lindemann, a friend of Winston Churchill.

Meanwhile, in Germany, two scientists are about to make a discovery that will change the rules of science.

To listen online, visit www.bbcworldservice.com/thebomb

#thebomb

27 minutes

Last on

Sat 28 Oct 2023 01:32GMT

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  • Wed 25 Oct 2023 03:32GMT
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  • Sat 28 Oct 2023 01:32GMT

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