Here is a roundup of some of the most interesting articles published on Manhattan Project and Cold War history and science news this month.
–Einstein scribbled his theory of happiness in place of a tip. It just sold for more than $1 million: The Washington Post reports on a handwritten note penned by Albert Einstein soon after he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics that was recently purchased for over $1 million. “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”
–Race to the first nuclear chain reaction: This article by the University of Chicago vividly recounts the building of Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1), the first controlled, self-sustained nuclear chain reaction, during the fall of 1942. The University is organizing events, called “Nuclear Reactions,” throughout the fall to commemorate the 75th anniversary of CP-1.
-Robert Blakeley, whose fallout shelter sign was a grim reminder of nuclear war, dies at 95: Robert Blakeley, the man who oversaw the design of the fallout shelter sign during the Cold War, died last week at age 95.
–Scientists detect gravitational waves from a new kind of nova, sparking a new era in astronomy: LIGO Hanford Observatory and its partners recently detected a “kilonova,” created when two collapsed stars collided with each other 130 million years ago. This discovery is important for many reasons; among other things, it confirms Albert Einstein’s prediction that gravitational waves move at light speed.