Royal Institution "Becquerel to Oppenheimer: The science of the nuclear age"

This livestream from the Royal Institution of Great Britain invites you to listen to Frank Close who takes us on a journey through the potentially devastating science and history of the nuclear age.

ADVANCE BOOKING AND PAYMENT IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TALK.
More details and booking instructions on the RI web site:

https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/becquerel-oppenheimer-science-nuclear-age

SUMMARY
Could the atomic energy contained in a gram of radium really drive a ship across the Atlantic? Did a traffic light near the Royal Institution really give Leo Szilard his idea of the chain reaction? And was Oppenheimer really the “father of the atomic bomb”?

Ri favourite, and former Christmas Lecturer Frank Close explains how an accidental discovery of a faint smudge on a photographic plate made by physicist Henry Becquerel in 1896 sparked a chain of discoveries which would unleash the atomic age, and reveals some of the myths that have grown around this saga.

Discover the story of how pursuit of this hidden nuclear power source, which began innocently and collaboratively, was overwhelmed by the politics of the 1930s, and following devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki opened the way to a still more terrible possibility: a thermonuclear bomb, the so-called “backyard weapon”, that could destroy all life on earth – from anywhere.

Copies of Frank's book "Destroyer of Worlds: The Deep History of the Nuclear Age: 1895-1965" will be available for purchase after the talk.

The Discourse will start promptly at 7.30pm. A Pay Bar will be available from 6.00pm. It will open again after the talk, until 9.30pm.

If you register but miss the livestream, the video will normally be available to you via the same link for two weeks after the event date.

For more information on livestreams, see the information below, or visit our FAQs page. Please use the event link you have been provided with.

By booking to attend events at the Royal Institution, you confirm that you have read and accept the Ri's event terms and conditions. You also agree to abide by our code of conduct, and help to create a great experience for yourself and your fellow participants.