After nuclear fission was discovered in 1939, several nations tried to weaponize the atom. Though most early programs quickly fizzled, it was fear of a Nazi atomic bomb that spurred the United States to build its own device in 1945. In Spying on the Bomb: American Nuclear Intelligence From Nazi Germany to Iran and...
There is a tense silence between the reassuring click of the restraint bar that pins riders into their seats and the ominous pfffft of the pneumatic launch mechanism engaging. In that brief interval, as passengers scan the steel track looming ahead, the anticipation is nearly unbearable. Suddenly, they rocket forward, slammed into the back...