Cold War | Science History Institute

Cold War

microscopic image of viruses and a bacterium

Bacteriophages and the Fight Against Cholera in Cold War Afghanistan

Distillations Article

Illustration of a large laser

The Undying Appeal of Nikola Tesla’s “Death Ray”

Distillations Article

Black and white close up of vial under microscope

The Rise and Fall of Polywater

Distillations Article

Color map of Soviet- and Western-controlled countries

Spying in Plain Sight: Scientific Diplomacy during the Cold War

Distillations Article

Color photograph of a mushroom cloud

Element Hunting in a Nuclear Storm

Distillations Article

Harry Gold photo illustration

Harry Gold: Spy in the Lab

Distillations Article

A man holds up a model of the molecular structure of crystals.

The Case of Continental Classroom

Distillations Article

Greetings from Isotopia

Distillations Article

Artwork from the graphic novel Trinity

Graphic History

Distillations Article

Comic Drama

Comic Drama: Illustrating the Manhattan Project

Distillations Video

Wichterle created the first wearable soft contact lens at his kitchen table on Christmas Eve 1961 using toys borrowed from his son, a hot plate, and a motor from a gramophone.

Politically Unreliable: The State v. Otto Wichterle

Distillations Article