Revolutionary Paroxysm        

By Matthew Ferry

How technology has advanced has always been of interest to me. The technology available in the last 70 years has advanced so much, and this has affected many aspects of the world. The entity that has completely changed is our interaction with one another, which has affected many aspects of life; communication; creation; and wars. Through the advancements of technology, war has completely changed, as has the use of weapons. For my project, I looked at how the atomic bomb changed war and interaction.

To familiarize myself with the topic I chose, I would need to know how the atomic bomb was used and what social issues came from the use. I began my research by going to the public library and reading biographies with words and works cited by the people who created the bomb, Dr. Oppenheimer and his team at Los Alamos. After I collected my information, I analyzed my sources and found deeper reasons as to what and why social issues happened from the use of these weapons.

        I presented my project as a documentary, because with a documentary you can both see and hear what occurred and caused massive change. My documentary allows the viewers to see just how destructive these atomic weapons were, and see how war has changed over time, which is seen in the introduction of my documentary, where I have several clips of how fighting and war have changed.

        My project deals with the issue of revolution. Though the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought massive amounts of deaths, these bombs revolutionized the world and interaction. I use the Cold War as an example of just how revolutionary this weapon was, and the change it brought.

Primary Sources

Bainbridge, K.T. Trinity Bomb Report. Los Alamos: United States Energy Research and Development Administration, 1945. Web. <http://library.lanl.gov/cgi-bin/getfile?00317133.pdf>.

This 74 page PDF includes information covering the Trinity Bomb. It includes observations from the test and information on the actual science behind the nuclear reaction, with how the neutrons acted. It also talks about the hazards of the nuclear bombs.

Einstein, Albert. "Einstein to FDR."Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/truman-ein39/>.

This letter was written by Einstein to FDR about advancements in nuclear weapons. This letter was dated 8/2/39, right around with the Manhattan Project was beginning to occur. Einstein discusses where to get uranium for the use of creating nuclear weapons, and that Germany stopped selling the element, raising suspicion that they be testing their own bombs.

Oppenheimer, Robert. "Dear Mr. Secretary."Memorandum for brigadier general. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.google.com/url?q=http://h-bombbook.com/research/primarysource.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEmSv3_-3a9OZ7LVDJ6Y2xjYtEk-Q>.

 In this letter Oppenheimer is writing to the Secretary of War, discussing atomic bombs. In the letter, he says that his team and himself have been unable to create a way to counter atomic weapons, if launched on the US. He states that the production of stronger atomic weapons is almost a natural thing, which they should be concerned about.

Oppenheimer, Robert. Memorandum for brigadier general. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/5.pdf>.

 In this document Oppenheimer writes about the technical pieces of the bomb. He discusses what makes up the bomb, such as it’s toxicity and radiation clouds. Oppenheimer also addresses how the bomb will create a mushroom cloud afterwards, and that cloud will stay for a considerable amount of time afterwards, along with the high humidity levels of the bomb.

Oppenheimer, Robert. Recommendations on the immediate use of nuclear weapons. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEB>.

 This source gives me information on how Oppenheimer and his team at Los Alamos saw proper etiquette for handling the bomb in America, and among alliancing nations. They also state that they have no property rights to the bomb, and they’re grateful for having a considerable impact with issues.

Oppenheimer, Robert. Ruin of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Print. <http://h-bombbook.com/research/primarysource.html>.

 This website includes many different Primary sources on the Manhattan Project and petitioning it. It has petitions that were started by Slizard and Oppenheimer, along with letters written by Truman about the bombing.

The Tale of Two Cities. United States War Department, 1946. Film. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hw0vy_apfU>.

This documentary gives video footage with explanations on the blast of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with footage of the surrounding area from the blast, damage to buildings and many other areas. This also features an interview from someone who survived the blast.

United Nations. treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. (. 2005. Web. <http://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2005/npttreaty.html>.

 in May of 2005, the Nuclear Peace Treaty was put into effect, creating new laws for the handling of nuclear arms. There are 11 articles in total, not all of which are required to be followed by every nation that has nuclear weapons, but by each nation that accepts to the terms.

Trinity Bomb. 1945. Photograph. n.p.

 This photo is from the first test of the atomic bomb, Trinity. This photo shows the bomb at 0.15 seconds, where the bomb has already expanded to about the size of a quarter mile, judging by the united at the bottom of the image. This photo serves to show just how powerful and quick acting these bombs are.

Truman, Harry, perf. "Harry Truman on Nagasaki." 9 August 1945. Radio. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Trumann_hiroshima.ogg>.

 This is a 25 second audio clip where President Truman refers to Hiroshima as a “military base” when it was a city. He uses this in his defense against bombing Hiroshima.

Oppenheimer, Robert. "TOP SECRET."1945. 1. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http://hbombbook.com/research/primarysource.html&ei=Vk1ET8WlL8L50gGZvn9Aw&usg=AFQjCNFYfxAuCiGte5f4ZTgsDZjAmtUyTQ&sig2=Hk7n3ih6gC9pMobSCQNdFA>.

  In this letter Oppenheimer discusses the grievances of the bombs being dropped. He discusses how he feels that there will be advancements in the nuclear weapons field, creating more powerful and devastating weapons.

Secondary Sources

. "Big ivan, The Tsar Bomba." . N.p., 3 September 2007. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.nuclearweaponarchive.org/Russia/TsarBomba.html>.

This website gives me a lot of information on Tsar Bomb, the world’s largest nuclear bomb. This bomb has a 50 megaton yield. On the website, it includes information such as how the bomb was built, dropped and the after math of the bomb on the location.

Grubin, David, dir. The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer. PBS, 2008. Film. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/oppenheimer/player/>.

This documentary covers Oppenheimer’s life, following it from the very beginning to the end of his life. It takes a look at his time studying at Harvard, where he studied chemistry. This documentary also looks at his time studying abroad at University of Gottingen, where he studied under Max Born. By the time he was 23, he had already recieved his Doctor of Philosophy. This documentary also looks at his work on the Manhattan Project, where him and his team at Los Alamos Lab created the atomic bomb.

Hashimoto, Isao, dir. Nuclear Bomb Timeline. 2003. Film. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsQJiwoObC4>.

This video shows the timeline of atomic bombs being dropped across the world, but the different nations that took part in the cold war. This is a great source, because it shows how the cold war unfolded, with the rivalry between the US and Communist Russia, along with other nations that got involved in the nuclear arms race.

"Igor Kurchatov's Report on the Danger of Atomic War."1954. Web. 8 Jan. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/filmmore/reference/primary/igoratomic.html>.

This article goes over how thermonuclear weapons are the next thing in nuclear arms, and how they’re much more powerful than any normal atomic bombs. A regular atomic bomb releases hundreds of thousands of tons of TNT equivalent power, while thermonuclear weapons release millions of tons of energy, much more stronger than Hiroshima. This article also discusses how continuous use of these bombs could make life on Earth Impossible.

Joseph, Max, dir. GOOD: Nuclear Weapons. 2007. Film. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-lADZG6-PI>.

This production by GOOD displays relevant information on the dropping of the atomic bomb, with how many bombs each major country has. This video also shows what would happen if a 50 Kilaton bomb was dropped in the middle of NYC, with a video simulation. This video also shows real footage from atomic bomb drops, and also footage of simulations.

McCain, J. (Performer) (2008). Mccain being interviewed on truman's decision [Television series episode]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwFC0v85aJg

In this interview John McCain voices his input on the dropping of the atomic bomb. He discusses that he sees it as a smart move, saving the lives of 200,000 thousand American troops. McCain also said he was in sport of Truman dropping it, and that American life is too precious.

Nave, R.. "A Chronology of Diaster, Chernobyl." HyperPhysics. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/cherno2.html>.

This website shows me graphs and displays on what happened with the Chernboyl incident. This website shows me how the cooling reactors work, well, did work. It also shows the operating thermal power of the reactors at the times before and after the malfunction.

Nave, R.. "A Chronology of Diaster, Chernobyl." HyperPhysics. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/cherno2.html#c2>.

This map shows the contamination cloud from the Chernobyl blast. This is a great source, because it shows just how large the cloud was, with a scale. This map also shows a scaled down version, where we can see the blast range of Chernobyl, and what neighboring areas it affected, such as the city of Pripyat.

The Tale of Two Cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 1946. Film. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hw0vy_apfU>.

This documentary gives video footage with explanations on the blast of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with footage of the surrounding area from the blast, damage to buildings and many other areas. This also features an interview from someone who survived the blast.

. "The Atomic Bomb in WWII." Century of Flight. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation history/WW2/atom bomb.htm>.

This website includes information on the results of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bomb drops, with statistics, photos, and reports of what happened. It also talks about why Truman dropped the atomic bombs on these two locations.

Xaquin, G.V.. "The Explosion at the Japanese Reactor." New York Times. N.p., 3 March 2011. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/12/world/asia/the-explosion-at-the-japanese-reactor.html>.

This graphic shows how nuclear reactors work, and how they always overheat. This is an essential piece of information, because it’ll show to me how to understand how and why these reactors fail.