Generally the golden period of Physics is identified in the period running from 1900 to 1945 and which sees the birth and consolidation of fundamental theories such as Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. A collection of the original scientific publications that marked the stages of this process is re-proposed for a historical reading of that period, keeping its chronology for years. This document traces the history of the Manhattan Project from 1941 to the Trinity Test in 1945 through the presentation of historical documents of the time ,
many have only recently been declassified. It is the story of one of the most important projects in history activated and completed in just three years and with theoretical knowledges still to be consolidated. Through the reading of the volume, the moments that led to the explosion of the first atomic bomb in a desert in the USA are retraced. The tension between the present visual witnesses of the event is relived in the knowledge that a possible failure would have determined unimaginable consequences. After 1945 and after the dramatic explosions on Hiroshima and Nagasaki with their load of death and devastation, the balance of power between Nations will change and the Atomic era will determine a new condition of coexistence between subsequent generations. The volume of the same series, already published and dedicated to 1945, to which reference should be made to complete the historical analysis of that period, focuses its discussion on the tragic events linked to the launch of the two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Useful for research, insights and study, as well as for simple consultation and reading, the volume is a "must" for lovers of History and History of Physics.
Notes on the Author.
Francesco Scognamiglio is an independent author of informative texts on Physics and History of Science and Technology. Graduated in Engineering with AeroSpaziale specialization he has passionately cultivated a particular interest in the knowledge of the fundamental laws that govern natural phenomena, trying to transmit knowledge even to those who would not have easy access to the subject for its high specialized content. For this purpose he is supported by many years of experience in training and teaching activities , addressing also the interest for deepening the peculiar philosophical and historical aspects. And it is precisely the particular attention to a scientific historical reconstruction of the evolution of the new Atomic Theories in the period from 1900 to 1945, which guides the author in the presentation of important historical documents and dramatic original testimonies of the period examined.