Documentary Night: J Robert Oppenheimer

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The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer


J. Robert Oppenheimer was brilliant, arrogant, proud, charismatic — and a national hero. Under his leadership during World War II, the United States succeeded in becoming the first nation to harness the power of nuclear energy to create the ultimate weapon of mass destruction — the atomic bomb. But after the bomb brought the war to an end, in spite of his renown and his enormous achievement, America turned on him, humiliated him, and cast him aside. The question this film asks is, “Why?”

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE presents The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer, featuring Academy Award-nominated actor David Strathairn (Good Night and Good LuckThe Bourne Ultimatum) as Robert Oppenheimer. From multiple Emmy Award-winning producer David Grubin (RFK, LBJ, Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided), The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer features interviews with the scientist’s former colleagues and eminent scholars to present a complex and revealing portrait of one of the most important and controversial scientists of the twentieth century. The two-hour film traces the course of Oppenheimer’s life: his rarefied childhood, his troubled adolescence, his emergence as one of America’s leading nuclear physicists, his leadership of the Los Alamos laboratory, and his tragic humiliation.

{ note: originally broadcast as part of American Experience , Running Time: 1 hr 45 min }

AFTER the documentary - we can have a brief discussion session. NOTE: You must supply your own soda pop and popcorn! :-) Trivia may also follow, so bring your Jeopardy hats too!



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  • Date: 19 Apr 2024
  • Time: 06:00 PM to 07:56 PM
  • All times are (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
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  • Starts 10 March 2024 12:42 PM
  • Ends 19 April 2024 03:30 PM
  • All times are (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
  • No Admission Charge


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Topic:

Documentary Night: Oppenheimer

J. Robert Oppenheimer was brilliant, arrogant, proud, charismatic — and a national hero. Under his leadership during World War II, the United States succeeded in becoming the first nation to harness the power of nuclear energy to create the ultimate weapon of mass destruction — the atomic bomb. But after the bomb brought the war to an end, in spite of his renown and his enormous achievement, America turned on him, humiliated him, and cast him aside. The question this film asks is, “Why?”

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE presents The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer, featuring Academy Award-nominated actor David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, The Bourne Ultimatum) as Robert Oppenheimer. From multiple Emmy Award-winning producer David Grubin (RFK, LBJ, Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided), The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer features interviews with the scientist’s former colleagues and eminent scholars to present a complex and revealing portrait of one of the most important and controversial scientists of the twentieth century. The two-hour film traces the course of Oppenheimer’s life: his rarefied childhood, his troubled adolescence, his emergence as one of America’s leading nuclear physicists, his leadership of the Los Alamos laboratory, and his tragic humiliation.

Biography:

There is plenty of material publicly available on the history of this pioneer.

See:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer 

Further reading

Articles:
    Bernstein, Barton J. (1988). "Four Physicists and the Bomb: The Early Years, 1945–1950". Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences. 18 (2): 231–263. doi:10.2307/27757603. ISSN 1939-1811. JSTOR 27757603.
    Borgwardt, Elizabeth (2008). "Site-specific: The Fractured Humanity of J. Robert Oppenheimer". Modern Intellectual History. 5 (3): 547–571. doi:10.1017/S1479244308001790. ISSN 1479-2443. S2CID 154948158.
    Galison, Peter; Bernstein, Barton J. (1989). "In Any Light: Scientists and the Decision to Build the Superbomb, 1952-1954". Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences. 19 (2): 267–347. doi:10.2307/27757627. ISSN 1939-1811. JSTOR 27757627.
    Walker, J. Samuel (2005). "Recent Literature on Truman's Atomic Bomb Decision: A Search for Middle Ground". Diplomatic History. 29 (2): 311–334. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7709.2005.00476.x. ISSN 0145-2096.

Books:
    Chevalier, Haakon (1965). Oppenheimer: The Story of a Friendship. New York: Braziller. OCLC 1233721.
    Conant, Jennet (2006). 109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-5007-8. OCLC 57475908.
    Davis, Nuel Pharr (1986). Lawrence and Oppenheimer. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-306-80280-5. OCLC 13560672.
    Kunetka, James (2015). The General and the Genius: Groves and Oppenheimer — the Unlikely Partnership That Built the Atom Bomb. Washington, D.C.: Regnery History. ISBN 978-1-62157-338-8. OCLC 891618851.
    York, Herbert F. (1976). The Advisors: Oppenheimer, Teller, and the Superbomb. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1714-4. OCLC 20721862.

    Biography and online exhibit at the University of California, Berkeley
    J. Robert Oppenheimer – Berkeley Historical Plaque Project
    J. Robert Oppenheimer at the Atomic Heritage Foundation
    J. Robert Oppenheimer: An Unparalleled Legacy at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
    FBI files: J. Robert Oppenheimer at the Federal Bureau of Investigation
    The Reith Lectures: Robert Oppenheimer – Science and the Common Understanding, on BBC Radio 4, 1953
    Lecture by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer: Freedom and Necessity in the Sciences at Dartmouth College, 1959
    Lecture by Dr. Oppenheimer at the University of Michigan, 1962

Address:Cyber City, Michigan, United States, 48309





Agenda

6:00 PM - Welcome and Introductions, Chapter business update; (on your own) Pizza, Popcorn and Soda Pop
6:05 PM - Documentary
7:45 PM - End of Documentary; Start of Q & A; Group Discussion
7:59 PM - Wrap Up 

 ALL times are in EST/EDT (UTC-4 or UTC-5) depending upon local day light savings times in when effect



An IEEE Southeastern Michigan Section event. All are welcome. Consider becoming an IEEE member if such similar events are of professional/academic interest to you/ All follow ups to Sharan Kalwani



  Media

Trials of Oppenheimer - FLYER Trials of Oppenheimer - FLYER 322.44 KiB