"This is also one of the clearest examples we have of the complicated relationship between scientific research (radioactivity, transmutation), scientific popularization (Soddy), science fiction (Wells), a feedback loop back into scientific inspiration (Szilard), and broader policy decisions (Churchill)."
Fantastic article and incredibly tidy thesis statement of what would be a wonderful book itself! Thanks for the continued great ideas/topics to elaborate on--I really enjoy the spread of perspectives you bring into your posts. I bring this general topic (My Theories of Persuasion class has a special topic just called "The End Of The World") into a few of my classes and the combination of science, discussion and pop culture (I love looking at music here myself) is so complex, but if we "crack" the mini-eras from 1945 on, there's so much to study! Thanks again!
You say "it's not clear what he was describing", I say "technobabble has a long and illustrious pedigree". :) I have no doubt that even earlier examples might exist. Off to the Bat-R/askistorians!
Sounds like what Wells is describing is a mass of a short-lived element that is dumped on the enemy and causes damage by its sheer decay heat, and possibly ionizing rays. Stabilized by hand-waving until it's dropped. Sort of like the indestructible hair dryer in what-if.xkcd.com/35/
Did you know Wells was a devout eugenics fan. He was involved in a movement which believed the poor were a waste and should be allowed to die or even be killed off or should mainly be bred out of the population. To be fair he was not the only celebrity of the time who thought this way. It was a growing movement. There are similar parallels today in terms of births among many celebrities and planet saving political movements, trying to 'save us'
You can read more about this by the grandson of a brave man who was at the time trying to expose this grotesque ideology, in his recent book Exterminating Poverty.
The ignorance and selfishness of people, even in this modern world where there is no shortage of anything any more, is still allowing activists to promote the ideas of genocide.
"This is also one of the clearest examples we have of the complicated relationship between scientific research (radioactivity, transmutation), scientific popularization (Soddy), science fiction (Wells), a feedback loop back into scientific inspiration (Szilard), and broader policy decisions (Churchill)."
Fantastic article and incredibly tidy thesis statement of what would be a wonderful book itself! Thanks for the continued great ideas/topics to elaborate on--I really enjoy the spread of perspectives you bring into your posts. I bring this general topic (My Theories of Persuasion class has a special topic just called "The End Of The World") into a few of my classes and the combination of science, discussion and pop culture (I love looking at music here myself) is so complex, but if we "crack" the mini-eras from 1945 on, there's so much to study! Thanks again!
I always figured that inspiration loop existed (e.g. Clarke's satellites) but I have never seen it so well explained and documented.
You say "it's not clear what he was describing", I say "technobabble has a long and illustrious pedigree". :) I have no doubt that even earlier examples might exist. Off to the Bat-R/askistorians!
Sounds like what Wells is describing is a mass of a short-lived element that is dumped on the enemy and causes damage by its sheer decay heat, and possibly ionizing rays. Stabilized by hand-waving until it's dropped. Sort of like the indestructible hair dryer in what-if.xkcd.com/35/
Did you know Wells was a devout eugenics fan. He was involved in a movement which believed the poor were a waste and should be allowed to die or even be killed off or should mainly be bred out of the population. To be fair he was not the only celebrity of the time who thought this way. It was a growing movement. There are similar parallels today in terms of births among many celebrities and planet saving political movements, trying to 'save us'
You can read more about this by the grandson of a brave man who was at the time trying to expose this grotesque ideology, in his recent book Exterminating Poverty.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Exterminating-Poverty-eugenic-Scottish-against/dp/1656297027
The ignorance and selfishness of people, even in this modern world where there is no shortage of anything any more, is still allowing activists to promote the ideas of genocide.
https://www.northstokelife.com/2026/03/the-purpose-of-war.html
Thoroughly enjoyed this. This "before" story is familiar to me but, it seems, at a rather shallow level.
I didn't realize that the idea of the atomic bomb, and the devastation it causes, was such a widespread concept, at least among the elite.