Our Friend the Atom
I once read a good piece of advice in an old issue of The Whole Earth review: To learn about an unfamiliar subject, read a children's book about it.
I'll take that advice one step further: To learn about an unfamiliar subject, read an old children's book about it. By that, I mean read a kids' book from the 1950s. Even though some of the information might not be up to date, chances are, the writing will be better and the design will be delightful.
Case in point -- The Walt Disney Story of Our Friend the Atom. Lavishly illustrated by the Walt Disney studio, this fantastic book traces the history of atomic science, from antiquity, through Roentgen's discovery of X-rays and Henri Becquerel's work with uranium in the late 1890s, Marie Curie's work with radioactivity, and up to atomic energy and nuclear weapons. It's a wonderful introduction to the subject, and for most of us, it contains as much information as you'll ever want to know about it. $2.49 and up on Amazon
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You can watch the TV documentary for which this book is the accompanyment!
It is part of the "Tomorrowland" DVD set that came out a couple of years back.
It comes across as corny and maybe a little sinister now, but was probably way avant-garde TV viewing back in the later 50s.
The set also has some great documentaries on space travel.
a long while ago i was at a hotel (i think) and we were watching tv and there was a walt disney movie on that was all about color (no plot). i think it was like an introduction to color film or whatever, like "look at all the cool things we can do". too bad i dont remember the name of it.