Michael Gordin

On August 29, 1949, the first Soviet test bomb, dubbed First Lightning, exploded in the deserts of Kazakhstan. The startling event was not simply a technical experiment that confirmed the ability of the Soviet Union to build nuclear bombs during a period when the United States held a steadfast monopoly; it was also an international event that marked the beginning of an arms race that would ultimately lead to nuclear proliferation beyond the two superpowers. ...

Five experts explore the notion of experimental verification in science, beginning with Karl Popper's famous "falsification criterion".

Five historians (Stefan Collini, Michael Gordin, Margaret Jacob, Maria Mavroudi and Quentin Skinner) share their perspectives on the nature of the historical enterprise and on the task of the historian in society today.