The U.S. of A-Bomb: How American Nuclear Weapons Changed the Course of Human History

Visit ammo.com for $20 off your next order of $200+: https://ammo.com/confirm-discount

On this episode of the Resistance Library Podcast Molly and Sam discuss how the U.S. came to use atomic power—and how it likely saved many lives. Learn more about the Manhattan Project at Ammo.com: https://ammo.com/articles/atomic-bomb-history-how-america-came-to-possess-use-nuclear-weapons

Follow Sam Jacobs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobs45

The United States of America can take pride in a number of things, among them arguably the two greatest cultural and scientific achievements of human history: The moon landing and atomic power. It is the latter that we will focus on in this episode, the unleashing of the power of the atom, for good and for ill.

America was the first nation to split the atom and applied it immediately to the war effort. It was not for a lack of trying on the part of America’s rivals: Germany famously had their own nuclear program. Less well known is that the Empire of Japan was also looking for a way to weaponize the primal forces of nature.

But America got there first. And their ability to do so not only changed the course of the Second World War, it also changed the course of human history. For the first time ever, mankind has the ability to wipe away human life as we know it at the push of a button. On the other hand, we also have a clean, reliable fuel source that could outstrip all existing sources, if the political will were there.

This is the story of how America unleashed and harnessed the power of nuclear fission, for better or for worse.

Helpful Links:
- The U.S. of A-Bomb: How American Nuclear Weapons Changed the Course of Human History: https://ammo.com/articles/atomic-bomb-history-how-america-came-to-possess-use-nuclear-weapons
- The Resistance Library: https://ammo.com/articles
- Molly Carter: https://ammo.com/our-team#molly-carter
- Sam Jacobs: https://ammo.com/our-team#sam-jacobs