By Its Cover

By Its Cover


The Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age, by Steve Olson

June 25, 2024

If you’re interested in the development of the atomic bombs and the implications for our world, this book is for you. Steve Olson makes the argument that Hanford was the most important facility for the development of the plutonium and the atomic age. Katie likes books like these, Jake doesn’t.


Couple of corrections for this episode:



  1. Groves was in charge of the Manhattan Project, not just Hanford.
  2. The NPR episode Katie listened to was called “A History of Zionism: by Throughline.

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