Could the atomic energy contained in a kilogram of radium really drive a ship across the Atlantic? Did a traffic light near the British Museum really give Leo Szilard his idea of the chain reaction? And was Oppenheimer really the “father of the atomic bomb?”
Join Professor Frank Close as he discusses his acclaimed book, Destroyer of Worlds, to chart how the accidental discovery of a faint smudge on a photographic plate in 1896 sparked a chain of discoveries which would unleash the atomic age, and reveals some of the myths that have grown around this saga.
From the discovery of radioactivity and splitting of the atom, he tells how the pursuit of nuclear power was overwhelmed by the politics of the 1930s, and following the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, presented a still more terrible possibility: a thermonuclear bomb that could destroy all life on earth - from anywhere.
How to book
This free public talk is aimed at an adult audience (17+) and is part of the 2026 Cambridge Festival. The event is free but space is limited and booking is strongly recommended: book tickets online here.
About the speaker
Frank Close is Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and winner of their Michael Faraday Prize for excellence in science communication. He was formerly head of theory at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and head of communications and public education at CERN.