"First published in Great Britain in 2004 by Jonathan Cape Random House"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 370-375) and index.

... Tells the story of this once unimaginable weapon that, at least since 8:16 a.m. on August 6, 1945, has haunted our dreams and threatened our existence. -- Cover.

Bombs are as old as hatred itself. But it was the twentieth century--one hundred years of incredible scientific progress and terrible war--that brought forth humanity's most powerful and destructive invention. Historian Gerard DeGroot tells the story of this once unimaginable weapon that--at least since August 6, 1945--has haunted our dreams and threatened our existence. For decades the Bomb dominated the psyches of millions, becoming a touchstone of popular culture, celebrated or decried in mass political movements, films, songs, and books. DeGroot traces the life of the Bomb from its birth in turn-of-the-century physics labs of Europe to a childhood in the New Mexico desert, from adolescence in Hiroshima and Bikini, to maturity in test sites and missile silos around the globe. His book portrays the Bomb's existence in all its scope, providing us with a portrait of the times and the people--from Oppenheimer to Sakharov, Stalin to Reagan--whose legacy still shapes our world.--From publisher description.

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