logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
47m 12s

Oppenheimer: What If America Never Dropp...

History Hit
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Oct 15
The Boston Courthouse Bombing
On April 22, 1976 a bomb went off at Suffolk County Courthouse in Boston. 22 people were injured in the blast, but no one was ever tried for the crime.Kevin Galvin joins Don today to explore who bombed the courthouse, why they did it, and who was caught up in it.Kevin has been a ... Show More
32m 39s
Oct 12
Life Down a California Goldmine
In 1848, James Marshall's discovery of gold in California's American River kicked off one of the biggest Gold Rushes in U.S. history. But what was life really like in California's Gold Fields? Who was actually making money? And how did gold fever shape a nation?Our guest today is ... Show More
54m 43s
Oct 8
Fur Trapping, Empire & the Hudson’s Bay Company
Did you know that almost 40% of the land that is now Canada was once owned by a single commercial company?The Hudson's Bay Company surrendered this area for the sum of £300,000 in 1869. But how did they come to control it? What was life like for fur traders in North America? And ... Show More
43m 13s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Oppenheimer: What If America Never Dropped the Atomic Bomb?
<p>The new Oppenheimer movie has everyone asking questions about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 - were two bombs necessary? Would the war have ended without it? Was there an ulterior motive? Would the Americans have dropped a third if they had it?</p><br><p>At the end ... Show More
43m 51s
Aug 2025
Was the atomic bomb necessary to end war with Japan?
The decision by the United States to drop atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 remains one of the most controversial moments in modern history. Did the atomic bombs force Japan's surrender in the Second World War? Or is this far too simple a narrati ... Show More
36m 57s
Jul 2023
Oppenheimer: “destroyer of worlds”
When the atom bomb was dropped in 1945, how did its inventor, J Robert Oppenheimer, feel? To mark the release of Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster Oppenheimer, biographer Kai Bird joins Elinor Evans to discuss the man behind the creation of nuclear weaponry, and the difficult m ... Show More
37m 56s
Aug 2025
Hiroshima: Nagasaki
Why was the second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki? How did Japanese mutineers in government try to keep the war going? When did the Emperor Hirohito admit defeat? Join James Holland and Al Murray for Part 3 as they explore the monumental decisions that led to the world's first a ... Show More
43m 33s
Jul 2023
Oppenheimer
Often referred to as the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer's work in the field of theoretical physics changed the world as we knew it. Working in Los Alamos, New Mexico during the Second World War, the Manhattan Project and the scientific advancements achieved ther ... Show More
29m 51s
Dec 2018
The Manhattan Project
After the U.S. military dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world roared with questions: what long-term health risks could atomic weapons carry? How did the Soviet Union build their own bomb so quickly? And did the Manhattan Project's scientists have hel ... Show More
52m 18s
Jan 2024
The Manhattan Project | Devastating Success | 3
In Spring of 1945, the tides of World War 2 turned. Germany surrendered to the Allies, but Japan vowed to keep fighting. To prevent further casualties, America knew they would have to demonstrate their power, and force Japan to surrender quickly. At Los Alamos, J. Robert Oppenhei ... Show More
40m 32s
Aug 2025
Hiroshima: Dropping The Bomb
When was Little Boy dropped on Hiroshima? How did different people react to the news of the explosion? Why was the second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki? Join James Holland, Al Murray, and Iain MacGregor for Part 2 as they explore the monumental decisions that led to the world's ... Show More
44m 17s
Dec 2018
The Manhattan Project Pt. 2
After the U.S. military dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the world roared with questions: what long-term health risks could atomic weapons carry? How did the Soviet Union build their own bomb so quickly? And did the Manhattan Projects scientists h ... Show More
51m 13s
Jul 2023
Here's What 'Oppenheimer' Gets Right--And Wrong--About Nuclear History
Here’s what a historian who has studied J. Robert Oppenheimer for two decades has to say about the new Christopher Nolan film on the father of the atomic bomb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
15m 27s