GBH Openvault

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Dawn; The Year 1945

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

A film that shows a recap of what happened in the year, 1945.

Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

Dawn

Program Number

101

Title

The Year 1945

Series Description

The first atomic explosion in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, changed the world forever. This series chronicles these changes and the history of a new era. It traces the development of nuclear weapons, the evolution of nuclear strategy, and the politics of a world with the power to destroy itself.

In thirteen one-hour programs that combine historic footage and recent interviews with key American, Soviet, and European participants, the nuclear age unfolds: the origin and evolution of nuclear weapons; the people of the past who have shaped the events of the present; the ideas and issues that political leaders, scientists, and the public at large must confront, and the prospects for the future. Nuclear Age highlights the profound changes in contemporary thinking imposed by the advent of nuclear weapons. Series release date: 1/1989

Program Description

Amid the violence, fear and desperation of World War II, nuclear weapons are created and used for the first time.

“Dawn” traces the development of the first atomic bomb, from 1932 with the ominous rumblings that led to World War II and the ground-breaking scientific experiments that led to the bomb. Atomic physicist Victor Weisskopf explains, “we did not think at all that this business would have any direct connection with politics, or with humanity.” The frantic rush by American scientists who feared the Nazis were ahead of them and the first nuclear explosion in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945 are described by eyewitnesses. Physicist Philip Morrison was ten miles away from the blast and will never forget the heat on his face. “Dawn” concludes with the failure of the first attempts to reach agreement on international control of atomic weapons after the war.

Duration

00:09:58

Asset Type

Stock footage

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Cold War

United Nations

United States

Genres

Documentary

Topics

Science

History

Global Affairs

War and Conflict

Rights Summary

In perpetuity ; Public Domain Rights Holder: NARA

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Dawn; The Year 1945,” GBH Archives, accessed December 22, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_EC8F560C493B4214A929CF6142013C08.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Dawn; The Year 1945.” GBH Archives. Web. December 22, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_EC8F560C493B4214A929CF6142013C08>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Dawn; The Year 1945. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_EC8F560C493B4214A929CF6142013C08