Shindell, Matthew Benjamin (Author)
Harold C. Urey (1893–1981), whose discoveries lie at the foundation of modern science, was one of the most famous American scientists of the twentieth century. Born in rural Indiana, his evolution from small-town farm boy to scientific celebrity made him a symbol and spokesman for American scientific authority. Because he rose to fame alongside the prestige of American science, the story of his life reflects broader changes in the social and intellectual landscape of twentieth-century America. In this, the first ever biography of the chemist, Matthew Shindell shines new light on Urey’s struggles and achievements in a thoughtful exploration of the science, politics, and society of the Cold War era. From Urey’s orthodox religious upbringing to his death in 1981, Shindell follows the scientist through nearly a century of American history: his discovery of deuterium and heavy water earned him the Nobel Prize in 1934, his work on the Manhattan Project helped usher in the atomic age, he initiated a generation of American scientists into the world of quantum physics and chemistry, and he took on the origin of the Moon in NASA’s lunar exploration program. Despite his success, however, Urey had difficulty navigating the nuclear age. In later years he lived in the shadow of the bomb he helped create, plagued by the uncertainties unleashed by the rise of American science and unable to reconcile the consequences of scientific progress with the morality of religion. Tracing Urey’s life through two world wars and the Cold War not only conveys the complex historical relationship between science and religion in the twentieth century, but it also illustrates how these complexities spilled over into the early days of space science. More than a life story, this book immerses readers in the trials and triumphs of an extraordinary man and his extraordinary times.
...MoreReview Catherine L. Newell (2021) Review of "The Life and Science of Harold C. Urey". Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences (pp. 852-853).
Review Chris Campbell (2020) Review of "The Life and Science of Harold C. Urey". Endeavour: Review of the Progress of Science (p. 100722).
Book
Schweber, Silvan S.;
(2012)
Nuclear Forces: The Making of the Physicist Hans Bethe
(/isis/citation/CBB001201092/)
Chapter
Alberto Bentoglio;
(2014)
"Sul caso di J. Robert Oppenheimer" al Piccolo Teatro di Milano
(/isis/citation/CBB475136154/)
Thesis
Shindell, Matthew Benjamin;
(2011)
The New Prophet: Harold C. Urey, Scientist, Atheist, and Defender of Religion
(/isis/citation/CBB001562829/)
Chapter
Alessandro Costazza;
(2014)
La dialettica dell'illuminismo nel dramma. "Sul caso di J. Robert Oppenheimer" di Heinar Kipphardt
(/isis/citation/CBB831255164/)
Article
Kauffman, George B.;
(2006)
Heavy Hydrogen, Geophysics, and Planetary Science: A Retrospective View of Harold C. Urey (1893--1981) on the 75th Anniversary of His Discovery of Deuterium and the 25th Anniversary of His Death
(/isis/citation/CBB001252561/)
Book
Gino Segrè;
Bettina Hoerlin;
(2017)
Il Papa della fisica: Enrico Fermi e la nascita dell’era atomica
(/isis/citation/CBB512699130/)
Chapter
Antonino Drago;
Giovanni Salio;
(2016)
Panoramica delle dichiarazioni pubbliche dei fisici contro le armi nucleari: Il periodo della guerra fredda
(/isis/citation/CBB646086294/)
Article
Shulga, Inna;
(2012)
On the Origins of Scientific and Academic Work on Technology of Organic Substances in Kharkiv Chemical and Technological Institute: To the 160th Anniversary of Prof. O. P. Lidov
(/isis/citation/CBB001321292/)
Chapter
Andrew Streitwieser;
(2015)
Hydrogen Isotopes in Physical Organic Chemistry
(/isis/citation/CBB214171595/)
Article
Malloy, Sean L.;
(2012)
“A Very Pleasant Way to Die”: Radiation Effects and the Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb against Japan
(/isis/citation/CBB001200575/)
Article
Turchetti, Simone;
(2009)
A Contentious Business: Industrial Patents and the Production of Isotopes, 1930--1960
(/isis/citation/CBB000931749/)
Book
Thorpe, Charles;
(2006)
Oppenheimer: The Tragic Intellect
(/isis/citation/CBB000741803/)
Article
Underwood, Martin C.;
(2011)
Joseph Rotblat's Archive: Some Anomalies and Difficulties
(/isis/citation/CBB001320777/)
Article
Herran, Néstor;
Roqué, Xavier;
(2009)
Tracers of Modern Technoscience
(/isis/citation/CBB000931746/)
Chapter
Elisabetta Vezzosi;
(2020)
«International inter-changes for the benefit of all mankind». Scienziati statunitensi allo Scientific Forum di Amburgo (1980)
(/isis/citation/CBB056972908/)
Book
Elisabetta Bini;
Elisabetta Vezzosi;
(2020)
Scienziati e guerra fredda: Tra collaborazione e diritti umani
(/isis/citation/CBB957549150/)
Book
Blass, Thomas;
(2004)
The Man Who Shocked the World: The Life and Legacy of Stanley Milgram
(/isis/citation/CBB000830718/)
Article
Pagni, Richard Martin;
(2009)
The Origin and Development of the Acidity Function
(/isis/citation/CBB000930630/)
Article
Cohn, Mildred;
(2005)
Harold Urey: A Personal Remembrance: Part I
(/isis/citation/CBB000741467/)
Book
Gavroglu, Kostas;
(2014)
History of Artificial Cold: Scientific, Technological and Cultural Issues
(/isis/citation/CBB001500399/)
Be the first to comment!