May 21 is reserved to Andrei Sakharov
I've always thought that the most powerful weapon in the world was the bomb and that's why I gave it to my people, but I've come to the conclusion that the most powerful weapon in the world is not the bomb but it's the truth.
~ A. Sakharov
Today is the birthday of Andrei Sakharov, who was born in 1921 in Moscow. Sakharov studied physics in Turkmenistan during World War II. After doing research on cosmic rays, he joined the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons program. He was one of the architects of the country's first hydrogen bomb, but he became increasingly alarmed at the prospect of nuclear war.
He stopped working on weapons and became an activist—first against the weapons themselves and then against the repressive Soviet state. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 for his "struggle for human rights, for disarmament and for cooperation between all nations." Sakharov died in 1989.
Interesting reading via Physics Today:
http://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.3525
Photo via Wikipedia Commons
#history #Sakharov #hydrogenbomb
I can imagine some who worked on atomic weapons back then ended up questioning what they did, after seeing its effects, albeit not first hand. Although if they did not, someone else would have.
ReplyDeleteIt's scary to think, all it takes is a single order, a push of a button for someone to destroy a city, country or indeed planet if there is reciprocity. Leaders don't have to live through the consequences of their actions, safe in their bunker, or on a plane thousands of miles away.