Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World Hardback - 2009

by Tom Zoellner

The fascinating story of the mostpowerful source of energy theearth can yieldUranium is a common element in the earth's crustand the only naturally occurring mineral with thepower to end all life on the planet. After World WarII, it reshaped the global order-whoever could masteruranium could master the world.Marie Curie gave us hope that uranium would bea miracle panacea, but the Manhattan Project gave usreason to believe that civilization would end with apocalypse.Slave labor camps in Africa and Eastern Europewere built around mine shafts and America wouldknowingly send more than six hundred uranium minersto their graves in the name of national security.Fortunes have been made from this yellow dirt;massive energy grids have been run from it. Fear ofit panicked the American people into supporting aquestionable war with Iraq and its specter threatens tocreate another conflict in Iran. Now, some are hoping itcan help avoid a global warming catastrophe.In Uranium, Tom Zoellner takes readers aroundthe globe in this intriguing look at the mineral that cansustain life or destroy it.