The bomb (part 1): were nuclear weapons inevitable?

In this episode of The Economist's "Babbage" podcast, titled "The Bomb," Alok Jha explores the history of nuclear weapons, starting with the accidental discovery of radioactivity and the subsequent scientific breakthroughs that led to the understanding of the atom's nucleus. Featuring insights from physicist Frank Close, the episode details the key experiments and discoveries by scientists like Henri Becquerel, Marie Curie, Ernest Rutherford, and others, which revealed the immense energy locked within atoms and the possibility of nuclear fission. The episode further explains how the realization of a chain reaction and the work of Otto Frisch and Rudolf Peierls led to the understanding that a small amount of uranium-235 could create a devastating explosion, prompting the development of nuclear weapons during World War II, as told by chemist Cheryl Rofer and historian Nick Lewis. The episode concludes with a discussion of the Trinity test, setting the stage for future episodes that will delve into the modern nuclear landscape.