Mark Levene
‘The War of the Martians’: Leo Szilard, Edward Teller and Budapest’s Nuclear Catastrophists, Part 1: The Road to the Trinity
Summary
The first atom bomb test, known as ‘Trinity,’ took place on 16 July 1945 in the New Mexico desert, marking a caesura in world history. Less known are the key Hungarian Jewish protagonists in its inception. This lecture, part 1 of 2, shines a spotlight on Leo Szilard, a brilliant but troubled scientist who sought to draw back from what, in many ways, was his creation, but he was too late to stop ‘the bomb’.
Mark Levene
Mark Levene is an emeritus fellow at the University of Southampton and in the Parkes Centre for Jewish/non-Jewish relations. His books on Jewish history, genocide, and climate change apart, Mark has for many years worked with Trudy Gold at LJCC. He is also coproducer of The Greek Project, Greek Study Tour Holidays with Intellectual Bite (www.greekproject.co.uk).