One of humankinds first scientific discoveries was fire. At some distant unrecorded date it was found that dead organic matter, such as tree limbs, could be made to burn, and human beings grew to enjoy cooked food, lighted shelters, and a warmth that allowed comfortable living in cold climates.

Breaking the weak forces that hold the atoms of a stick of wood together makes heat. Breaking the powerful forces that hold the nuclei of a stick of uranium together makes millions of times more heat than simple burning. This principle of nuclear power is now well understood, scientifically accepted, and widely practiced, but it was a long effort to get to this point of knowledge. Before the power of the nucleus could be explored, or even contemplated, it was necessary to realize that matter is divided into atoms.

This chapter first will show the gradual realization of atomic structure, starting as a hypothetical philosophy in ancient times and eventually refining into more rigorous, practical theories in the 19th century, as the concept of matter divided into indestructible chemical elements became clear and the practice of formal science was established. The discussion then reveals that when it was confirmed that atoms can neither be created nor destroyed, it was found, by accident and experimentation, that pieces of an atom can be torn off, and various forms of radiation result from this action. Light and the newly discovered radio waves and X-rays were

found to be different manifestations of the same phenomenon, which is an electromagnetic radiation predicted to exist by a set of finely crafted mathematical equations. The chapter goes on to study the alarming dis­coveries near the end of the 19th century, when an additional source of a more powerful radiation was found, apparently coming from deep inside the atom and requiring no external stimulus.