Oliphant
eBook - ePub

Oliphant

The Australian genius who developed radar and showed Oppenheimer how to build the bomb

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Oliphant

The Australian genius who developed radar and showed Oppenheimer how to build the bomb

About this book

The extraordinary life of the true genius behind the atomic bomb, radar and much more, a maverick scientist from Australia who changed the course of history
'Genius, complex, authentic - Roland Perry captures all the essential characteristics of this globally recognised Australian who was influenced by the giants of science and then became one himself.' Dr Matt Agnew
6 August 1945: the United States launches the world's first nuclear attack on Japan. J. Robert Oppenheimer will be remembered as the father of the bomb, but it was Australian physicist Sir Mark Oliphant and his lab who discovered how it could be built. Faced with Hitler's determination to acquire atomic weapons, Oliphant shares his secret research with Oppenheimer and helps him build the first nuclear bomb. It is a decision both will come to regret.
Oliphant's brilliance was not limited to atomic science, he was also central to the development of radar, an innovation that saved Britain from Nazi invasion. After the war, amidst a slew of KGB scandals enveloping his team, Oliphant's push against US nuclear dominance drew suspicion from the CIA. He came under surveillance and was banned from entering the USA, the country he had given so much.
Based on his interviews with Mark Oliphant, bestselling author Roland Perry paints a compelling portrait of a giant of the 20th century. Perry traces Oliphant's life from his humble beginnings in Adelaide, early academic triumphs and collaboration with Sir Ernest Rutherford, his crucial involvement in radar and the Manhattan Project, to establishing the Australian National University and serving as a highly controversial Governor of South Australia.
More than just a chronicle of an extraordinary scientist, Oliphant reveals the legacy of a man who faced a moral reckoning in the bomb's aftermath and later transformed into a vocal advocate for peace and nuclear disarmament. It is a story of espionage, conflict, science and conscience, and a true Australian genius.
'This is a fascinating account of a brilliant Australian scientist who shaped history.' David Dufty, author of Charles Todd's Magnificent Obsession
PRAISE FOR ROLAND PERRY
'a superb work' John Howard on Monash: The outsider who won a war
'Compelling and wholly absorbing ... among the most remarkable Australians of his time.' Bob Carr on Monash: The outsider who won a war
'a sterling biography' Herald Sun on Don Bradman

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Yes, you can access Oliphant by Roland Perry in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Historical Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. COVER PAGE
  2. ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
  3. TITLE PAGE
  4. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  5. DEDICATION
  6. CONTENTS
  7. PROLOGUE: THE EDUCATING OF J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER
  8. PART ONE: THE TINKERER’S APPRENTICESHIP
  9. PART TWO: AT THE CAVENDISH
  10. PART THREE: AT BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY
  11. PART FOUR: THE GENIUS BEHIND THE BOMB
  12. PART FIVE: COLD WAR AND HOT SPIES
  13. PART SIX: OLIPHANT IN AUSTRALIA
  14. PART SEVEN: STIRRING WITH INTENT
  15. PART EIGHT: GOVERNOR
  16. POSTSCRIPT: A NEVER-ENDING STOCKPILE
  17. PICTURE SECTION
  18. AFTERWORD
  19. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  20. ENDNOTES
  21. BIBLIOGRAPHY
  22. INDEX