France Nukes the USA

[Kagen4o4]

the one screwed up thing about the american government at the time on the atomic bomb was that the scientists told them there was a slight (very very small) chance that detonating one of those things could ignite the oxygen in the air causing a chain reaction that could incinerate the earth. to which the american government replied "do it"
as small as the odds were. thats still a big risk. imagined the scientists biting their fists waiting to see if it would happen

[lookout123]

eh. people once cautioned us that driving in an automobile at speeds faster than 38 mph would cause one's eyeballs to implode. the scientists were wrong then, they're probably wrong now...

Originally Posted by Kagen4o4

the one screwed up thing about the american government at the time on the atomic bomb was that the scientists told them there was a slight (very very small) chance that detonating one of those things could ignite the oxygen in the air causing a chain reaction that could incinerate the earth. to which the american government replied "do it"
as small as the odds were. thats still a big risk. imagined the scientists biting their fists waiting to see if it would happen

Actually, that thought has always fascinated me. I usually remember that bit of trivia if I happen to be down Los Alamos, New Mexico way. I imagine the physicists kissing their wives good-bye on the morning of the first test then going to stand on a mountainside somewhere and wondering...

The scientific detachment, looking at the blue sky, fluffy white clouds overhead, perhaps hearing the call of a meadowlark...

Waiting under the New Mexico sky...

For the end of the world...

Do you suppose they placed bets among themselves?

[wolf]

Originally Posted by marichiko

Do you suppose they placed bets among themselves?

There were bets placed on the yield of the Trinity gadget.

Fermi won.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by Kagen4o4

... that the scientists told them there was a slight (very very small) chance that detonating one of those things could ignite the oxygen in the air causing a chain reaction that could incinerate the earth. to which the american government replied "do it"

Not quite.

The "atmosphere catching fire" was a speculation raised fairly early on in the development of the bomb by Edward Teller, I believe. They stopped work for a bit, put a team of theoretical physicist to work on the math, and decided that wouldn't happen.

By the time they were ready to go on the Trinity Test (July 16, 1945) that was no longer even a consideration. Even so, Manhattan Project lore states that a press release was prepared announcing the death of several dozen prominent physicists in an industrial accident of some kind.

Seriously, read the book I posted a link to earlier.