Atomic: The First War of Physics and the Secret History of the Atom Bomb 1939 - 1949. Drawing on newly declassified material, Jim Baggott writes a monumental book that spans ten historic years, from the discovery of nuclear fission in 1939 to the aftermath of 'Joe-1', August 1949's first Soviet atomic bomb test. Why did physicists persist in developing the atomic bomb, despite the devastation that it could bring? Why, despite having a clear head start, did Hitler's physicists fail? Did the physicists knowingly inspire the arms race? ATOMIC is an epic story of science and technology at the very limits of human understanding, a tale barely believable as fiction, which just happens to be historical fact.