Men Who Play God: The Story of the Hydrogen Bomb

Men Who Play God: The Story of the Hydrogen Bomb
Author: Norman Moss
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2018-12-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781792195778

"A detailed and brilliant account... full of illumination... fascinating.' New Yorker. Men Who Play God is a captivating history of the political decisions, global events and scientific experiments that led to the invention of the most powerful bomb in history. A renowned British journalist and broadcaster, Norman Moss' acclaimed book provides a detailed summary of the inception and production of the bomb itself. A thought-provoking narrative on a highly complex issue, it also examines the problems that arose, such as the potentially lethal effects of nuclear fallout. Moss also brings to life the opposing views between scientists and politicians alike as the idea of a "Super" bomb capable of mass destruction rapidly began to transform into a reality. Governments sought to endorse or denounce thermonuclear weapons programmes in their countries - after crucial events such as President Harry S. Truman's public declaration of support for the American Atomic Agency Commission and its work on the hydrogen bomb in 1950. This led to issues that ranged from serious ethical questions to political decisions that would resonate across the world. Offering vivid portraits of the eminent men whose decisions and expertise were crucial to the process, Moss pays particular attention to the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his colleague Edward Teller, who became known as the "father of the hydrogen bomb." Men Who Play God provides a thorough, gripping overview of a series of the most significant nuclear events in history that brought lasting global consequences.

George Arliss

George Arliss
Author: Robert M. Fells
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2004
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780810851603

By any reasonable expectation, George Arliss should not have succeeded as a star, either on stage or in film. Yet he achieved a career enjoyed by very few in the performing arts. An actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker, George Arliss won acclaim for his work first on the stage and then later, most improbably, as a Hollywood movie star. His films achieved the rare distinction of being both artistic and financial successes. Though he was neither young nor handsome, Arliss found popular acclaim for his many historical characterizations such as Voltaire, Nathan Rothschild, Cardinal Richelieu, and Benjamin Disraeli. Robert Fells traces Arliss's life and times through his film work, providing a thoroughly researched and entertaining view of one of the most important, yet neglected figures in film history. The book also reviews the actor's uneasy relationship with screenwriters, his clashes with British film producer Michael Balcon, his championing of young unknowns such as Bette Davis and James Cagney, and his prosecution by the British Government during World War II. It also includes a complete filmography and a selected stageography of Arliss's work. Includes 20 photos.

Playing God

Playing God
Author: Andy Crouch
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2013-09-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830837655

With Playing God, Andy Crouch opens the subject of power, elucidating its subtle activity in our relationships and institutions. He gives us much more than a warning against abuse, though. Turning the notion of "playing God" on its head, Crouch celebrates power as the gift by which we join in God's creative, redeeming work in the world.

Seven Fateful Moments When Great Men Met to Change the World

Seven Fateful Moments When Great Men Met to Change the World
Author: Charles L. Mee Jr.
Publisher: New Word City
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2015-09-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1612309062

Throughout time, leaders at the pinnacle of power - popes and kings, presidents and prime ministers, czars and generals - have subscribed to the belief that they can change the course of history, not by the force of arms, but through charm, skillful negotiation, honesty, deceit, and all the other arts of peaceful human exchange. Award-winning author Charles L. Mee Jr. reproduces seven singular moments when heads of state have come together to decide the future of the world. He examines the uses of summitry, from the directness of Pope Leo's confrontation with Attila the Hun near Rome to Henry VIII and Francis I's meeting on the Field of the Cloth of Gold; from the surprise encounter between Cortés and Moctezuma to the intricacies negotiated by Metternich and Talleyrand at the Congress of Vienna; from the ironies of Wilson, Clemenceau and Lloyd George's summit at the Paris Peace Conference to the unintended consequences of Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt's gathering at Yalta; and finally to Gorbachev's desperate appeal to the G7 nations in London to be included in their powerful club. Mee peeks through the curtains of diplomacy to reveal the hidden agendas and the glorious personalities at work. Taken together, these seven fateful moments are bracing and humbling reminders of the enormous complexity and mystery of human affairs.