The Manhattan Project

2024-09-18

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On this episode, the first in Season 9, we get stuck into the vast and sprawling history of The Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb. The creation and utilisation of such an unbelievably powerful weapon changed the dynamics of power globally and the results are still being felt today. The Manhattan Project was a WWII initiative which brought together the most brilliant of minds to conceptualise and then develop a weapon formidable enough to compel the Axis powers to capitulate. Spearheaded by the now infamous J. Robert Oppenheimer and his macho military counterpart General Leslie Groves, the project mobilised an extensive team of globally reknowned physicists at a secret encampment in New Mexico called Los Alamos. There they collaborated on their own theories and advanced human knowledge leaps and bounds in such a short time; focussing primarily on the new school of their craft, quantum physics and then more practically the design and production of weapons-grade nuclear materials and a mean by which to blow them up!

All this was being done amidst fears of Nazi Germany's parallel efforts, the Allied forces hastened to pioneer this groundbreaking technology and have it ready to fire before the lads got their shot off somewhere. Unfortunately for the more trigger happy of the US military elite, Germany's surrender before the bomb was battle-ready meant that the remaining Japanese Imperial forces faced the consequences, with Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffering atomic attacks in August 1945. These bombings, which abruptly ended the war after years of massive conventional bombardments, underscored the terrifying potency of nuclear arms and marked the apex of scientific ingenuity yielding the most destructive force known to humanity.

Joining me on this episode I have two Irish comedy legends Edwin Sammon and Chris Kent.

You can find Ed here on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinsammon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@edwinsammon and his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/edwinsammon where you can see loads of clips from stand up, TV and stage appearances and also episodes of his podcast 'Edwin Sammon of Knowledge' which you can also find on Spotify here https://open.spotify.com/show/1koWjRbaPaJcfs5aItOpzO?si=257e5284ee34478d He is gigging all over the country so follow him and get updates for when he's coming to your town!

You can find Chris at his website here https://chriskentcomedy.com/ where you can get tickets to the massive amount of upcoming live comedy shows all over Ireland and the UK and loads more too; like his full video comedy specials! Chris is also on all the socials Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriskentcomic/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chriskentcomic and check out all his video on his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkiptOA5pvabk0xRXkFO5g

There is a Patreon version of this episode with over 40 mins extra content and if you're a TCG Patreon subscriber, there's a video version in Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/59alnTONQdDCJj6CZdCzkT?si=382c80f4a8b848e4 as well as all the other Patreon content sent right to your Spotify app.

You can sign up now for a FREE Patreon subscription to TCG and listen to this episode (with the extra stuff) right here https://www.patreon.com/posts/s09e01-manhattan-111508606

Chapters:

Introduction 00:00:00

Show Start 00:6:31

Before The Research 00:28:24

The Creation of Atomic Physics 00:40:17

German Science for German People 01:05:31

The Bomb as an answer for Pearl Harbour 01:12:57

The Manhattan Project Begins 01:20:35

The Problem With Uranium 01:43:47

The General and The Genius 01:58:46

What About Bob Oppenheimer? 02:22:53

Los Alamos: It Takes A Village 02:45:02