A thrilling narrative of scientific triumph, decades of secrecy, and the unimaginable destruction wrought by the creation of the atomic bomb.It began with plutonium, the first element ever manufactured in quantity by humans. Fearing that the Germans would be the first to weaponize the atom, the United States marshaled brilliant minds and seemingly inexhaustible bodies to find a way to create a nuclear chain reaction of inconceivable explosive power. In a matter of ...

A riveting history of the Mount St. Helens eruption that will "long stand as a classic of descriptive narrative" (Simon Winchester).For months in early 1980, scientists, journalists, sightseers, and nearby residents listened anxiously to rumblings in Mount St. Helens, part of the chain of western volcanoes fueled by the 700-mile-long Cascadia fault. Still, no one was prepared when an immense eruption took the top off of the mountain and laid waste to hundreds of sq...

150,000 years of human existence have passed, and yet what do we really know about our history before the advent of writing? Some of the most momentous events - including our origins, our migrations across the globe, and our acquisition of language - were lost in the darkness of 'prehistory'. But at last geneticists and other scientists are piecing together a history - the true story of Adam and Eve. Mapping Human History is nothing less than a 'history of prehistory'. Steve Olson travelle...

From punk rock band Bad Religion's Greg Graffin and Steve Olson, Anarchy Evolution is a provocative look at the collision between religion and science."Take one man who rejects authority and religion, and leads a punk band. Take another man who wonders whether vertebrates arose in rivers or in the ocean. . . . Put them together, what do you get? Greg Graffin, and this uniquely fascinating book." —Pulitzer Prize-win...

It began with plutonium, the first element ever manufactured in quantity by humans. Fearing that the Germans would be the first to weaponize the atom, the United States marshaled brilliant minds and seemingly inexhaustible bodies to find a way to create a nuclear chain reaction of inconceivable explosive power. In a matter of months, the Hanford nuclear facility was built to produce and weaponize the enigmatic and deadly new material that would fuel atomic bombs. In the desert of eastern W...

Lessons in Leadership: A Storied Approach is a leadership book with a difference! The stories are personal and range from humorous to poignant. They include the follies of youth, the mistakes of being a new leader, and wisdom from knowledge and experience. The lessons learned are relevant and come with several points to ponder that will help you gain insights about yourself.

What turns experience into wisdom?We’re told experience is everything. That time alone will teach us what we need to know. But experience, left unexamined, can just as easily trap us in repetition as guide us forward.Beyond Experience is a reflective audiobook about how wisdom actually forms, not through doing alone, but through the pairing of experience, knowledge, and thoughtful reflection.Written and narrated by the author, this audioboo...

The preeminent historian of the American Revolution explains why it remains the most significant event in our history.More than almost any other nation in the world, the United States began as an idea. For this reason, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon S. Wood believes that the American Revolution is the most important event in our history, bar none. Since American identity is so fluid and not based on any universally shared heritage, we have had to continual...

'Really outstanding' Jonathan Dimbleby'Extraordinary and utterly absorbing' Patrick Bishop'Wonderful material' Saul David'Profoundly thought-provoking' James Holland'Impeccably researched' SpectatorAt 8:15 a.m. on August 6th, 1945, the Japanese port city of Hiroshima was struck by the world's first atomic bomb. Built in the US by the top-sec...

You’ve heard of IQ and EQ. But in today's world, they’re no longer enough. We need the Agility Quotient (AQ).“Holistic, practical, and easy to digest (without feeling corporate). If you’re looking for a quick, yet addictive read about how to manage uncertainty, this is one of those books that will make you feel a little more steady.”—theSkimmIn a time defined by nonstop disruptions, when jobs vanish overnight, industries evolve in ...

Copyright is everywhere. Your smartphone incorporates thousands of items of intellectual property. Someone owns the reproduction rights to photographs of your dining table. At this very moment, battles are raging over copyright in the output of artificial intelligence programs. Not only books but wallpaper, computer programs, pop songs, cartoon characters, snapshots, and cuddly toys are now deemed to be intellectual properties—making copyright a labyrinthine construction of laws with color...

The riveting true story of a legendary Spanish galleon that sunk off the coast of Colombia with over $1 billion in gold and silver—and one man’s obsessive quest to find it—from the New York Times bestselling author of Madhouse at the End of the Earth“Splendid . . . Sancton is an expert guide through eighteenth-century European geopolitics [and] modern marine archaeology.”—The Wall Street JournalRoger Dooley wasn’t...