The Man Who Gave us the Power To Destroy Ourselves (Oppenheimer)

J. Robert Oppenheimer forever changed the course of history. He may be the most important physicist to have ever lived. Part of this video is sponsored by Wren. Offset your carbon footprint on Wren: ​https://www.wren.co/start/veritasium1 For the first 100 people who sign up, I will personally pay for the first month of your subscription! If you want to learn more about Oppenheimer, I strongly recommend the book “American Prometheus” By Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin. It was the inspiration for Christopher Nolan's 2023 film "Oppenheimer", which won multiple awards, including Oscars in 2024 for Best Picture and Best Actor (Cillian Murphy). If you’re looking for a molecular modeling kit, try Snatoms – a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically – https://ve42.co/SnatomsV ▀▀▀ A huge thank you to Dr. Martin Rohde and Dr. Antonia Denkova from the TU Delft for proofreading the script and providing valuable feedback. ▀▀▀ References: Bird, K., & Sherwin, M. J. (2021). American Prometheus: the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Atlantic Books. Smith, A. K., & Weiner, C. (1980). Robert Oppenheimer: letters and recollections. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 36(5), 19-27. - https://ve42.co/Smith1980 Combes, J. M., Duclos, P., & Seiler, R. (1981). The born-oppenheimer approximation. Rigorous atomic and molecular physics, 185-213. - https://ve42.co/Combes1981 Rhodes, R. (2012). The making of the atomic bomb. Simon and Schuster. Oppenheimer, J. R., & Volkoff, G. M. (1939). On massive neutron cores. Physical Review, 55(4), 374. - https://ve42.co/Oppenheimer1939b Oppenheimer, J. R. (1927). Bemerkung zur Zerstreuung der α-Teilchen. Zeitschrift für Physik, 43(5-6), 413-415. - https://ve42.co/Oppenheimer1927 Oppenheimer, J. R. (1927). Zur quantenmechanik der richtungsentartung. Zeitschrift für Physik, 43(1-2), 27-46. - https://ve42.co/Oppenheimer1927b Born, M., & Oppenheimer, R. (1927). Zur Quantentheorie der Molekeln Annalen der Physik, v. 84