logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
19m 8s

#518 | Atoms For Peace | The Early Years...

Leonardo English
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Oct 8
#636 | Victor Lustig: The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower
In 1925, Victor Lustig convinced a Paris scrap-metal dealer that the French government was selling the Eiffel Tower. His secret was a mixture of official papers, careful acting, and victims too embarrassed to report him. He later returned to Paris and tried to sell it again. Vict ... Show More
24m 34s
Sep 24
#634 | Nuclear Power's Unlikely Comeback
Nuclear power was meant to disappear in much of Europe, but Germany, Belgium and Italy are changing their minds. Rising energy demand, climate concerns and artificial intelligence are making old reactors and new designs attractive again. Germany’s Chancellor admits closing nuclea ... Show More
23m 30s
Sep 10
#631 | The Dark Side of Psychology | The Milgram Experiment
In 1961, psychologist Stanley Milgram tested how far ordinary Americans would go when an authority figure told them to hurt someone. His disturbing experiment revealed the power of obedience and raised frightening questions about how easily good people can do terrible things. Ado ... Show More
26m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2018
Nuclear Energy | E = MC Squared | S2-E1
You can binge all episodes of American Innovations exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Find Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple PodcastsIn 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower went on national television introducing a new kind of power plant, one that will transform the world. ... Show More
46m 51s
Jun 2022
The Manhattan Project
Learn about the invention of the atomic bomb 
6m 21s
Dec 2022
MacroVoices #355 Mark Nelson: Understanding All Things Nuclear
<p>In this first part of holiday special, MacroVoices welcomes nuclear engineer Mark Nelson to the show to discuss all things nuclear. Erik and Mark start with a brief history of the industry, then talk about both real and perceived problems with nuclear power, before moving on t ... Show More
2h 34m
Jan 2025
Nukes
<p>In an episode first reported in 2017, we bring you a look up and down the US nuclear chain of command to find out who gets to authorize their use and who can stand in the way of Armageddon. </p><p>President Richard Nixon once boasted that at any moment he could pick up a telep ... Show More
52m 27s
Jan 2018
The Cold War - The Nature of Risk | 4
Americans were desperate to find hope in the shadow of the bomb.Miracle cures, cheap energy, and even brand new atomic gardens: the wonders of the atom were ours to discover! Right? Eager to explore nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes, Americans instead found the resulting r ... Show More
35m 26s
Jul 2019
Nuclear Weapons VS Energy
“Nuclear” is a pretty scary word and people are more interested than ever since The Chernobyl Podcast was released. The word conjures up images of mushroom clouds, 1950s PSAs and Terminator movies. However, there is a huge difference between nuclear energy (civilian) and nuclear ... Show More
1h 36m
Jan 2024
The Manhattan Project | Chain Reaction | 1
In December 1938, a team of German physicists achieved an astonishing scientific breakthrough: they split the nucleus of a uranium atom. In the United States, news of the discovery sparked fear in the scientific community. Atomic fission could power a devastating new weapon, and ... Show More
40m 4s
Jul 2022
S3 E9: An Atomic Future
What were the long-term effects of the SL-1 explosion? Nuclear power is a shrinking part of America’s energy picture; accidents and fear have tarnished it, and the old reactor fleet is reaching its end. Yet nuclear energy could provide a bulwark against the looming threat of clim ... Show More
33m 21s