Description

From the Manhattan Project to Chernobyl, in war and in peace, this is the only encyclopedia to cover the development of atomic energy in the 20th century. More than 450 alphabetically organized entries trace the history of atomic energy from the discovery of the explosive potential of the atom to the development of atomic energy as a force for war and for peace and the issues raised by its use. The encyclopedia has been designed and written to meet the information needs of high school students and the general public. Entries include scientific processes, terms and concepts, nuclear accidents, atomic testing, protest movements, treaties and national and international organizations, nuclear programs and facilities in many countries and biographical profiles of scientists and government leaders responsible for the development and decisions regarding atomic energy. The encyclopedia provides the most current information available on these topics. Each entry concludes with a suggested reading. The encyclopedia includes a timeline of important events in the global development of atomic energy, more than 30 photos, and a selected general bibliography.

The encyclopedia covers all five phases of the development of atomic energy: (1) the discovery of the atom's potential and the mobilization of scientists for work on an atomic weapon; (2) the race to build a bomb, which resulted in the U.S. detonation of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; (3) the period from 1945 to 1960, in which other powers developed nuclear weapons and the United States built a hydrogen bomb; (4) the period from 1960 to 1980, which saw the development of nuclear reactors for domestic energy and concluded with the Three Mile Island accident; and (5) the period from 1980 to the present, which sees protest movements and serious examination of the issue of atomic energy as a public good. This definitive encyclopedia fills an important gap in information on this topic in the school and public library.