My Nuclear Life
by Shelly Lesher
Latest episode
Were we saved from nuclear annihilation by a bottle of vodka?
Were we saved from nuclear annihilation by a bottle of vodka?
About this podcast
On July 16, 1945, in a New Mexico desert, the Trinity Test ushered in the Nuclear Age. No other piece of technology has penetrated the American consciousness like the nuclear bomb and found a place in everything from culture to medicine. This podcast explores how nuclear science has impacted and changed our world in both beneficial and destructive ways. We explore the intersection of nuclear science and society using interviews with historians, policymakers, experts in their fields, and first-hand accounts to weave a picture of your nuclear life.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 86 episodes
- Were we saved from nuclear annihilation by a bottle of vodka? · 53 min · Episode 83Join Shelly Lesher and Nathan Radke as they discuss how the Black Brant, Canadian designed, multi-stage rocket almost ended us in January 1995 (The Black Brant Scare). Did Boris…
- Happy Stanislav Petrov Day & Able Archer (1983) · 55 min · Episode 82In this episode, Nathan Radke and Shelly are joined by Lee Kuhnle to discuss the last few months of 1983. Today you should celebrate Stanislav Petrov Day (September 26) and not…
- 1983 - The Year of Living Dangerously · 54 min · Episode 81It wasn't the mullets or shoulder pads but how close the world came to nuclear annihilation. Join Shelly and Nathan Radke as they discuss what happened in 1983 and why you should…
- Project Paperclip | Brian Crim · 52 min · Episode 80Project Paperclip; or how the US gave citizenship to Nazi scientists so we could build rockets to get to the moon and defeat the Soviets. This episode will explore this project…
- The JASONS | Ann Finkbeiner · 59 min · Episode 79Who are the JASONS? What do they do and can Shelly ever fulfill her dream of becoming one? Find out on this episode with Ann Finkbeiner.
- Not Dead Yet | Conspiracy Theory with Uncover Up · 50 min · Episode 78What is going on with all the missing scientists? Should we be worried? Should Shelly be worried? Is there a Mayor McCheese secret plot? Join Nathan & Lee from the Uncover Up as…
- The "best" Doomsday Devices | The Uncover Up · 38 min · Episode 77In this joint episode with The Uncover Up Nathan Radke and Shelly Lesher try to shock each other with the different ways humans have tried or will try to destroy us all. Watch…
- The bomber will always get through | Nathan Radke · 50 min · Episode 76Nathan Radke (The Uncover Up) and Shelly Lesher discuss the B-36. You can email us or support us on Patreon Please leave a 5-star review on iTunes and subscribe to My Nuclear…
- (New Intro) Challenger Explosion | Adam Higginbotham · 45 min · Episode 75On the 40th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, we rerelease this episode with a new introduction to include Ron McNair articles from his home, N.C. A&T Physics.
- Black holes, string theory, and public policy | Jim Gates (Sylvester James Gates) · Episode 74See what happens when Shelly talks to smarty-pants Jim Gates, says she is not going to talk about String Theory and immediately asks questions about String Theory. Hear about…
- How much time does the US need to restart nuclear testing? | Hans Kristensen · Episode 73How likely is it that the US will restart nuclear testing? How much time would it take? You might be surprised by the answers. Join Shelly as she discusses this and other topics…
- House of Dynamite | Lee and Nathan · 57 min · Episode 72Lee Kuhln and Nathan Radke join Shelly to talk about the No. 1 Netflix movie - House of Dynamite and answer the question, "Is the movie Dyn-o-mite"?
- HItler and the Bomb | Mark Walker · Episode 71How close were the Germans to building an atomic bomb? What went wrong? Listen to the conversation with historian Mark Walker to find out more.
- Hidden in plain sight. The Greenbrier Bunker | Deanna Hylton · Episode 70Not actually a bunker but a fallout shelter under the Greenbrier Hotel in the hills of West Virginia. Shelly visits the bunker and then speaks with the manager of bunker tours…
- The Atomic Pilgrim | James Patrick Thomas · Episode 69James Patrick Thomas speaks to Shelly about his walk for nuclear disarmament in 1981 which lasted 20 months. Along with 18-19 other pilgrims, James left Washington and journeyed…
- The ethics of human radiation experiments | The Uncover Up · Episode 68Shelly meets up with Lee Kuhnle and Nathan Radke in Toronto to discuss the ethics behind human radiation experiments. We redefine what "fun" means, Nathan shows off his "ethics"…
- Day in the Life of a Nuclear Physicist | Kelly Chipps · 38 min · Episode 67What do you think a nuclear physicist does every day? Lone genius or social butterfly? Listen to find out how Dr Kelly Chipps of Oak Ridge National Laboratory fills her time.
- Cold War Human Radiation Experiments | Eileen Welsome · 54 min · Episode 66“As all these stories do, it started with a radioactive animal dump in Albuquerque,” is the best first line of a story I have ever heard. Listen as Eileen Welsome and Shelly…
- Cold War Kids | Ann Kordas · 49 min · Episode 65Ann Kordas joins Shelly to discuss the gendered roles of boys and girls during the Cold War and how children were taught to protect themselves from nuclear annihilation through…
- Nuclear Christmas List with Kelly Chipps · 48 min · Episode 64Ever wonder what to buy with your Christmas money? Need a nuclear themed gift for that nerd in your family? Look no further, Shelly and her friend and fellow nuke, Kelly Chipps…
